Journalists post diagrams of "Putin's Black Sea Bunker" in Gelendzhik

The Business Insider has published diagrams and drawings of the underground part of "Putin's palace" in Gelendzhik, in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.

Source: The Business Insider

Details: Reportedly, documents were posted publicly on the Russian internet. Metrostil (Metro Style), a now-defunct Russian contractor, posted the diagrams to their website to showcase their work in the early 2010s. They were viewable online as late as 2016. However, the place was called "a complex of underground facilities for a boarding house in the city of Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai".

In particular, the plans show two complex tunnels running under the palace complex. The palace and underground facilities are connected by an elevator that goes down to a depth of approximately 50 metres.

The tunnels are reported to be well fortified and have everything necessary for life: a sufficient amount of freshwater, ventilation, and an extensive network of cables to support the vital activity of VIPs for several days or weeks in a row.

The two tunnels are located on different levels. They are approximately 40 and 60 metres long, respectively, and 6 metres wide, creating about 6,500 square feet of potential living space that is blast-proof. 

Thaddeus Gabryszewski, a building engineer familiar with defensive structures who reviewed the diagrams, said they are intended for someone to survive.

Quote from Gabryszewski: "This tunnel set-up has all kinds of safety and security. There's a fire system. There's water, there's sewer. This is intended for someone to survive or escape."

Details: It is noted that Putin commissioned the structure with worst-case scenarios in mind. Especially striking are the 16 cable racks, each about a foot wide, embedded into the wall of the lower tunnel. These racks are designed for the "conduit" cables that can carry electricity, lighting, copper wire and fibre optic cable needed for a command post.

The sheer volume of conduit running through the lower tunnel is important, as it is much larger than the internal systems of the tunnel might need. 

Gabryszewski thinks that it could be some kind of backup system for the palace complex. So tunnels are not just emergency exits. They are probably a kind of emergency spinal cord for the entire palace complex.

Neither the Moscow-based company that acquired Metro Style nor Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's chief spokesperson, responded to requests for comment.

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