Russian president Vladimir Putin has a secret network of underground tunnels that run beneath his palace hideaway by the Black Sea, unearthed plans suggest. Mr Putin had a huge underground bunker built beneath Gelendzhik Palace, according to plans posted online by the engineering firm in charge of the project, with a network of tunnels lying around 50m under the surface.
The complex, first reported by Business Insider, is thought to have been constructed for protection in the event of a revolution or war and was built before Russia took over Crimea in 2014. The £1bn palace is located on a verge overlooking the sea and takes up a 190,000 sq ft area. It even has its own church, ice rink, casino and hookah lounge.
The labyrinth of hidden tunnels was revealed by jailed Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, after the defunct Russian construction firm Metro Style posted the diagrams on its website in the early 2010s to show off their work.
The bunkers appear to have a ventilation system, sewerage and a fresh water supply, while the walls are 15-inch concrete shells, as shown in the diagrams. There is also an elevator shaft that connects the complex to the two tunnels, as revealed in one diagram - and the lower one has a walkway to the beach, as well as cable racks that could be used to bring electricity, lighting and fibre-optic cables to a command post.
This story is from the May 20, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the May 20, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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