Not only an armoured train: a secret railway was built for Putin in Russia

A secret railway and a network of stations leading to his residences were built in Russia  for Vladimir Putin, the president of the aggressor country. Earlier, it was reported that Putin has started travelling around the country on his armoured train.

Source: Proekt (Project) investigative media outlet

Quote: "All of Vladimir Putin's main residences have been connected to railway lines, and secret stations have been built nearby, as the Project has found out. This confirms the reports of the Dossier Center that the head of state has recently begun to use the train more often than the plane."

Details: The media outlet has found at least three locations that may be associated with Putin's secret railway service.

In particular, on the territory of the Valdaysky National Park, there is a guarded railway station with a helipad near the village of Dolgiye Borody, the nearest settlement to Putin's favourite Valday residence. Three local residents told the media outlet that the station and a special railway line to it were built only for the president.

In addition, according to satellite images, the station in Novo-Ogaryovo appeared in 2015 and is located 400 metres from Putin's residence in Moscow Oblast. The land under the station was withdrawn from private ownership in favour of the Federal Guard Service by the decision of the then Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev. The special station itself is designed for a small number of cars and is hidden behind a high fence with surveillance cameras installed every 10 metres.

To stop the train near the Sochi residence Bocharov Ruchey, a platform and a new dead-end railway line appeared in 2017, hidden from the tracks used by electric trains by a high fence.

The president's special train has repeatedly been caught on camera by trainspotters and railway workers. For example, in November 2018 or April 2020.

According to the former driver with whom the Proekt spoke, Putin's armoured train is based in a depot at the Moscow-Kalanchyovskaya railway station with a closed terminal for VIPs. This special station is still functioning, and the high fence surrounding it is additionally reinforced with barbed wire. In 2017, a new highway was laid directly to the platform of the VIP terminal on Kalanchyovskaya. The president's special train belongs to the Grand Service Express Company, which was associated with Putin's close friend Yury Kovalchuk.

Background:

• On 13 February, the Dossier Center reported that Vladimir Putin has been increasingly using an armoured train for long-distance trips to his residences, which he switched to in the spring of 2021.
• In December 2022, it was reported that Putin has an extensive chain of secret bunkers stretching from Moscow to the Urals, and new underground shelters continue to be built in Russia.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!