Plan Under Discussion to Evacuate Kremlin Leaders Abroad in Event of Russia’s Defeat in Ukraine, Gallyamov Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Nov. 8 – Abbas Gallyamov, a well-connected commentator who earlier worked as a speechwriter for Putin, says that a source of his in the Presidential Administration has told him that officials there are making plans for the evacuation of Kremlin leaders in the event of a defeat in Ukraine and a revolution in Russia.

            The project, informally known as “Noah’s Ark,” the commentator continues, says that officials close to Putin are casting about for a country that might take him and his associates in. First, they thought of China, Gallyamov’s source says, but then rejected that destination given Chinese attitudes especially toward losers (publizist.ru/blogs/112974/44603/-).

            Now, they are considering Argentina and Venezuela, with Sechin involved in exploring at least the second. “He has a good personal relationship with Maduro,” and so it is no surprise that he would be involved. Also involved  is Yury Kurilin, who used to be at Rosneft but has been devoting himself full time to the Noah’s Ark project since the summer.

            “Unfortunately,” the commentator says, “my source doesn’t know any other details,  but what he has said clearly shows that when those in the kremlin say that ‘everything is going to plan,’ it is important to clarify according to just which plan they have in mind given that they seem to have more than one.”