Russia Built Secret Railroads, Private Train Stations For Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin rides a train connecting the Crimea to mainland Russia SPUTNIK / Alexey NIKOLSKY

KEY POINTS

One train station was built near Putin's residence in Valdai
Another train station was built in Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo residence in the Moscow region
Putin began using an armored train since the start of the war in Ukraine

Russia has built secret railroads and private train stations for President Vladimir Putin's use over the last decade, according to a report.

One of the train stations was built near Putin's residence in Valdai in the Novgorod region in 2019. The train station is equipped with a helipad and is used exclusively to transport the president, investigative news outlet Proekt reported, citing three local residents, as translated by Meduza.

Another train station was secretly built near Putin's residence in Novo-Ogaryovo in Moscow in 2015, the outlet reported, citing satellite imagery. The report noted that the Novo-Ogaryovo station was built on land that the Russian federal government seized under the direction of former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

A railway platform and a terminal track line hidden by a fence were also built in 2017. This platform is located near Bocharov Ruchey, Putin's summer residence in the city of Sochi.

Proekt's investigative report comes after an investigation carried out by the Dossier Center found that Russia has spent about $13 million to build an armored train for Putin. It said that Putin began using the armored train more frequently after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

The armored train is said to belong to the Grand Service Express, owned by an offshore company associated with a Putin ally, and is used primarily for long-distance trips from his home.

"Vladimir Putin started using an armored train in the fall of 2021 when the Russian army began to actively prepare for the invasion of Ukraine. After the start of the war, he rides it more and more often, especially to his favorite residence in Valdai," the Dossier Center's report said.

The existence of Putin's armored train is not a secret. Putin himself was photographed boarding the train in 2012, although the picture featured an older version of the locomotive. Medvedev was also photographed conducting a meeting in the train's boardroom in 2019.

That being said, there are no current photographs showing the train's exterior as the Kremlin has refrained from publishing one.