It is not environmental reasons that make Putin choose the armored train over air, but security. Many airports in southwestern Russia have been closed since the start of the war – and it is there, on the Black Sea, that two of Putin’s palaces are located. There are train lines where only the armored train is allowed to travel, according to the Dossier Center.
– To get to his residence and avoid something shooting down the plane, he takes the armored train, says Ilya Rozzhestvenskij.
Staff around the clock
The armored train costs around SEK 140 million, according to information provided to the Dossier Center whose sources constructed the train.
– The staff lives on the train around the clock, so that the president can step on it at any second, says Ilja Rozjdstvenskij, trench reporter at Dossier Center.
The company that owns the armored train is linked to Russian businessman Yuri Kovaltyuk, who is close to Putin and is known to be responsible for his property, including yachts and palaces.