Putin ‘vanishes to his secret forest palace’ amid anti-war demos in Moscow
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Vladimir Putin has escaped to his secret lakeside “palace” amid brutal suppression of anti-mobilization demonstrations in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Despite Kremlin denials, Putin appears to have disappeared on vacation to his “top secret official dacha” in northern Russia.
Nestled in the forests of the Valdai Hills – about halfway between Moscow and Saint Petersburg – the residence features a three-storey spa complex with a ‘personal beauty salon’, nicknamed the ‘temple of his asceticism’.
His holiday comes as more than 700 people have been detained by Russian authorities today during protests against the partial mobilization ordered by the president this week, according to independent monitoring group OVD-Info.
There has been unrest in more than a dozen major cities, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita and Ivanovo, after 300,000 Russians were drafted into dutiful military training before being sent to Ukraine. .
While initial protests were quickly crushed by Putin’s well-trained internal security forces, new protests have erupted in Moscow this afternoon.
Vladimir Putin has seemingly escaped to his ‘most secret official dacha’ in northern Russia (pictured) to escape the chaos caused by his mobilization announcement
The sprawling lakeside estate, seen in drone footage, includes a three-storey spa complex (pictured) with a ‘personal beauty salon’, nicknamed the ‘temple of his asceticism’
His holiday comes as more than 700 people have been detained by Russian authorities today during protests against the partial mobilization ordered by the president this week, according to independent monitoring group OVD-Info.
Footage shows menacing, helmeted riot police wielding brave men and women who ventured into the rain to protest Putin’s mobilization.
Protesters have been accused of illegal demonstrations and in some cases discrediting Putin’s armed forces, which could lead to 15 years in prison.
Lines have formed at national borders as young men try to flee Russia to avoid conscription, with European Council President Charles Michel yesterday advising EU members to offer asylum to conscientious objectors leaving Russia to avoid conscription. to avoid.
Meanwhile, Putin has seemingly cut himself off from the chaos caused by his mobilization announcement.
Journalist Farida Rustamova posted that a reliable source said Putin has been resting “body and soul” since last Wednesday evening at his home on Lake Valdai in the Novgorod region.
She claimed that pre-recorded videos showing him meeting officials have been released to make it appear that he is busy at work when, in reality, he is “resting” in his four-storey mansion.
Images show menacing, helmeted riot police wielding brave men and women who ventured into the rain to protest Putin’s mobilization
Journalist Farida Rustamova claims pre-recorded videos have been released to make it appear that Putin is busy at work, when in reality he is resting in his four-storey mansion
Earlier this week, the president announced a partial mobilization of Russia, a significant escalation in the war against Ukraine
The sprawling lakeside estate, seen in drone footage, includes a stable, golf course, miniature golf course, VIP restaurant with cinema, bowling alley, billiards room and even a mini casino.
The secret residence’s existence was revealed last year by the anti-corruption team working with its imprisoned nemesis Alexei Navalny.
Mr. Navalny’s team also claimed that the facility has its own dental office and fully equipped beauty salon.
The three-story spa complex includes a cyro room for extreme cold therapy and a mud bath in a 7,000-square-foot relaxation facility.
There is also a specialized floating pool – a large pool filled with very salty water that keeps you on the surface when you lie in it – a 25-metre pool surrounded by hot tubs and saunas, and a Thai massage stage.
It would also be equipped with Putin’s special massage chair, illuminated by a special infrared lamp.
The sprawling lakeside estate, seen in drone footage, includes a stable, golf course, mini golf course, VIP restaurant with cinema, bowling alley, billiards room and even a mini casino
The existence of the mansion, located on Lake Valdai in the Novgorod region, was revealed last year by the anti-corruption team that teamed up with his imprisoned nemesis Alexei Navalny last year.
The house is close to important Orthodox churches that the 69-year-old Putin is known to have visited in other times of crisis during his more than two decades in power.
His conscription order earlier this week has not only sparked protests across the country, but has also sparked the rise of drunken insubordination and brawls by those called to the Ukrainian meat grinder.
Videos show unwilling conscripts at recruiting offices and staging points beating and drinking themselves senselessly as military commanders try to put them in order before boarding buses and planes.
Putin’s desperation for fresh cannon fodder is so great that he is even trying to summon Russians who have already died, including a man who died aged 40 while on a ventilator in a hospital in his Siberian hometown of Ulan-Ude in December 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, flights from Russia have sold out and border crossings to nearby Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan are stuck for up to 30 hours as enterprising Russians use their scooters to beat the queues from Putin’s totalitarian nightmare.
Walking to the border point is not allowed, but so far scooters are allowed and local entrepreneurs are selling them to Russians who want to flee Putin’s call.