Anti-corruption organization the Dossier Center has leaked explosive pictures of Vladimir Putin's $75 million top-secret armored train, revealing a feature-packed fitness and beauty carriage, as well as other classified details. The deluxe 22-carriage train has reportedly become Putin's transport of choice for longer-distance journeys in Russia as, unlike his presidential plane, it can't be tracked or shot down.
Click or scroll through to get the lowdown on the warmongering leader's mobile mansion and take a sneaky peak inside.
Like fortresses on rails, heavy-duty armored trains were often used by the leaders of the USSR to get around the country. Leonid Brezhnev traveled across Siberia in one back in 1974 to meet with US President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Eight carriages that make up Putin's alleged mobile palace date from the era of the Soviet Union or shortly after its collapse, according to the Dossier Center, which monitors the criminal activities of Kremlin officials and is run by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky. These rail cars house garages, communication hubs and a diesel power system, as well as the train's restaurants.
The Dossier Center's report asserts that carriages for Putin's train began to be manufactured in 2004, during his first presidential term. The very first rail car commissioned, a decadent salon carriage, has been described as “ultra-luxury”, with high-end finishes and five-star amenities. Official photos of Putin in what is thought to be the same carriage have only been published once. In 2012, the then-Russian prime minister was snapped in this Orient Express-style rail car, where he held a meeting with former Deputy PM Arkady Dvorkovich, former Minister of Transport Maksim Sokolov and the former head of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin.
This carriage – together with another 13 ordered for Putin over the years – was made by a company called Zircon Service and reportedly bears the emblem of the Grand Service Express, a Russian company that offers luxury private rail travel. The Dossier Center has revealed it cost 18.5 million roubles, which translates to $204,000 at the current exchange rate, a bargain given the eye-watering price tags for the most recently commissioned rail cars. Altogether, there are now 22 rail cars, though the Dossier Center has reported that only 10 are used at any one time.
In 2018, trainspotter Mikhail Korotkov posted the first exterior photo of the armored train online on a now-deleted online forum for rail enthusiasts, reportedly infuriating the Putin regime. Korotkov was subsequently hounded by the authorities and ended up having to flee Russia. Since then, numerous photos of the train's exterior have surfaced, such as this Zircon Service image obtained by the Dossier Center.
The Dossier Center published its first investigation into the armored train on 13 February 2023. The following day, independent news site Proekt posted an exposé on Telegram, revealing that Putin has built a secret network of railway lines and stations for his exclusive use. They connect to stations at Novo-Ogaryovo, Putin's official residence outside Moscow, the despot's Bocharov Ruchey summer residence in Sochi and his secret country retreat on Lake Valdai, between Moscow and St Petersburg. That particular station, which is thought to have been constructed in 2019, is reportedly pictured here.
According to Proekt, the network of railway lines converge at this private VIP terminal at Moscow-Kalanchevskaya station, and Putin's lavish locomotive is based in a depot there. Needless to say, security is extra-tight in and around the station, which is encircled by an extra-high fence reinforced with barbed wire.
The Dossier Center followed up on its February exposé with another more extensive report in early July 2023. The investigation focused on a feature-heavy fitness and well-being carriage that was reportedly constructed by Zircon Service at breakneck speed from 2018 to 2019. Here's the alleged floorplan of the rail car obtained by the Dossier Center, which shows a gym, beauty parlor and spa.
All in all, the swish carriage is said to have cost a hefty 413.4 million roubles, which equates to $4.6 million. The luxury gym is decked out with a bench press, hyperextension machine, step platform and dumbbells, along with tatami and gym mats. Putin doesn't miss leg day, it would appear, since an emphasis has been put on thigh-training machines, sourced from San Diego-based premium gym equipment firm Hoist Fitness.
A TV integrated into a mirror reportedly by Russian manufacturer Mirror-Media – at a cost of 1.2 million roubles or around $13,000 – takes pride of place on the wall. Initially, the Dossier Center says there were problems maintaining the television signal in tunnels and near tall buildings, so the Moscow Research Institute of Radio Communication allegedly developed a whole new buffering system to guarantee uninterrupted viewing.
Next up is the beauty parlor. Putin's proclivity for pampering has been well-documented, and his rumored mansion on Russia's Lake Valdai allegedly features an enormous 75,000-square-foot spa complex dubbed his "epicenter of asceticism". It makes sense then that Putin would want a mobile spa on his presidential train, where he can undergo treatments while on the go.
In terms of kit, the beauty parlor is well-equipped. The impressive array of cosmetic devices includes an Ionto Beauty Tower machine for radiolifting and other treatments, an Ionto Sono Effect ultrasound therapy contraption, along with other devices from Ionto, a firm that operates out of Germany. The facility is also brimming with skincare products and treatments, from expensive anti-aging face masks to pricey Hialurox hyaluronic acid nanosphere gel.
This is no ordinary beauty parlor, however. Doubling up as a medical facility, it boasts a Dräger Carina lung ventilation system, DEFIGARD defibrillator, an Infinity M540 patient monitor, ATMOS airway suction device and other hospital-standard gizmos. Basically, everything necessary to carry out invasive cosmetic procedures or save Putin's life in the event of a medical emergency.
In addition to the gym and beauty parlor, the fitness and well-being carriage features a Hammam or spa, where Putin can go for a relaxing steam after a workout or beauty procedure. The space also has a number of showers, including one that distributes 'aroma foam' and is decorated with upscale pink marble mosaic tiles covering the walls, floor and ceiling.
Putin certainly has plenty of time to while away in his mobile spa. While there are plans to increase the train's top speed to 124 mph, it's currently only capable of a maximum speed of around 100 mph due to the weight of the armored carriages. Therefore, journey times are rather long. For instance, it takes at least 10 hours to reach Putin's secret Black Sea palace from Moscow.
The Dossier Center also managed to get hold of images showing a number of communications machines in one of the train's Soviet-era carriages. These devices are used to encrypt messages sent from the train. In this shot, Ryabina-M radio receivers and other comms gadgets can be seen. These gizmos are far from cutting-edge, though.
The pics, which include this image of an R-439 'Legend-2' satellite communications station, were actually taken back in 2016. Captain Gleb Karakulov, the security agent once in charge of special comms for the train, has since turned against Putin. He revealed to the Dossier Center that these machines are effectively obsolete. However, it has been said that they were partially upgraded in 2021.
This photo from 2016 shows yet more outdated gadgetry, much of which looks like it belongs in a museum. As well as the encryption comms kit, the train has plenty of other security features. Built like fortresses, the carriages are soundproofed to “protect against the leakage of acoustic information”, and robust enough to resist shots from, say, an AK-47 or Dragunov sniper rifle. There are also holes cut in parts of the train from which security personnel can return fire.
Dubbed the 'ghost train', Putin's moving palace doesn't show up on timetables or public systems, and there are no identifying numbers or names on the exterior. Staff are strictly vetted and have to undergo a period of quarantine before working on the train to assuage paranoid Putin, who is said to be “mortally afraid” of catching COVID.
Putin's use of the train has reportedly increased significantly since the summer of 2021 and following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a result, the despot's team has allegedly put in a massive order to renew the fleet and make it even more luxurious, reports the Dossier Center. The project is once again being carried out by Zircon Service and supervised by Russian Railways. The new designs for the lavish interior include this fancy dining room.
In fact, Putin reportedly has two dining cars on order, both of which are furnished with plush red carpets, velvet curtains and Art Deco-style tables. Their total cost is said to be around 228.8 million roubles, which is $2.5 million. The order is also rumored to encompass a $4.5 million hall car with a multimedia center – basically, a mobile movie theater – and an additional health and well-being carriage with pretty much the same contents as the existing one. Its cost is estimated at $6.2 million.
Two further luxury rail cars are also purportedly planned to accommodate guests and security guards, at a cost of $6.2 million. The order includes an opulent $5.4 million lounge carriage, while a double carriage, for meetings and recreation, is the priciest of the lot at $18.8 million. In total, the train has cost over $75 million according to the Dossier Center, including $16 million for maintenance – all allegedly bankrolled by the Russian taxpayer, of course. Zircon Service did not reply to questions from the Dossier Center, while the Kremlin's press office denied the report's findings to CNN, insisting: “President Putin does not have such a car in his use or in his ownership.”
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