Wildfires threaten Putin’s £1 billion Black Sea palace: Hundreds of firefighters are sent to tackle the blaze – believed to have been deliberately set – and protect the mansion with a stripper pole and nuclear bunker

Raging bushfires threaten Vladimir Putin’s £1bn Black Sea Palace, prompting hundreds of firefighters to protect the clifftop site.

A major operation is now underway to contain the fire, which is believed to have been set on purpose. This fire burned 118 hectares of land around the city of Gelendzhik, about 160 kilometers from the Crimean peninsula.

Two Mi-8 helicopters, firefighting aircraft and nearly a hundred vehicles have been deployed to fight the wildfires before they penetrate Putin’s palace, which is only a few kilometers away from the blaze.

Volunteers have also been asked to join the emergency services as footage showed the blaze engulfing the wooded hills above the city.

The Gelendzhik Palace in the Krasnodar region – equipped with a nuclear bunker, casino, underground ice rink and an “entertainment room” complete with stripper poles – is just one of Putin’s decadent hideaways and is said to be worth around £1 billion.

People watch as the fires rage through Gelendzhik. It is believed that the inferno was deliberately lit

Putin’s Gelendzhik Palace in the Krasnodar region is equipped with a nuclear bunker, casino, underground ice rink and an “entertainment room” complete with stripper poles

A 40-year-old man was previously detained on suspicion of arson following the fire, reports said. However, his motives were not clear.

The raging fires spread quickly thanks to strong winds that raged up to nearly 120 km/h. During the night, the fire increased six times.

A Be-200 amphibious aircraft from the Ministry of Emergency Situations was sent to Gelendzhik to bolster combat efforts as Russia diverts resources from other infernos in Siberia.

A spokesman for Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said: “The fire spread to the top of the mountain.

“For the time being, there is no threat to the settlements and infrastructure. The extinguishing work has not stopped for even a minute.’

The blaze is located about ten miles northwest of Cape Idokopas, where Putin’s palace is located, but the massive firefighting effort suggests officials are concerned about its possibility of spreading.

The giant cliff-top Gelendzhik Palace, a private residence reportedly built with state money, is one of Russia’s most heavily guarded structures.

The palace features a pole dancing hookah boudoir, a casino and an ‘aqua disco’.

A major operation is underway to contain the blaze, which has destroyed 118 hectares of land around the city of Gelendzhik, about 100 miles from the Crimean peninsula.

Footage showed fire ravaging the wooded hills above the engulfed city of Gelendzhik

The inferno can be seen in Gelendzhik as it looks like Putin’s Black Sea terrain will be affected

Two Mi-8 helicopters, firefighting planes and nearly 100 vehicles have been deployed to fight the wildfires

A computer visualization shows what is described as a comic or hookah room in Vladimir Putin’s supposed palace on the Black Sea

The building is surrounded by some 17,000 acres of land owned by Russia’s FSB security service, with no-fly and no-boat zones protecting it from prying eyes.

A marina and helipads were built to give the president easy access to the palace, as well as a railway line that would be Putin’s preferred means of transportation.

There is also a 16-story underground complex built into the cliff, which also reportedly houses a nuclear bunker.

A mining engineer who worked on the structure confirmed that it was commissioned by the president, saying, “There’s a whole anthill in the rock below the house.”

The underground maze includes a clifftop loggia overlooking the sea and a huge wine cellar.

It was “a balcony — literally a loggia suspended above the sea,” built into the cliff, from which the owner can enjoy wine tastings from the palace’s stocks, he said.

A man has been pictured near the blaze that is beginning to reach Vladimir Putin’s billion-pound palace just outside Gelendzhik.

Footage showed the fire ravaging the wooded hills above Gelendzhik as the city engulfed in flames

General Gennady Lopyrev, 69, died after suddenly falling ill – gasping for breath – and being told by doctors that he had not previously been diagnosed with leukemia

Two weeks ago, a Russian general, once close to Putin, who kept secrets about the construction of the palace, died mysteriously in prison.

General Gennady Lopyrev, 69, suddenly fell ill – gasping for breath – and was told by doctors that he had not previously been diagnosed with leukemia.

Suspicions arose that he had been poisoned after it emerged that the general was eligible for parole.

Lopyrev was sentenced to ten years in prison by a military court in 2017, charged with taking bribes and illegal possession of ammunition. He maintained his innocence regarding the allegations.