Paul Goble
Staunton, Nov. 22 – Since the pandemic and even more since Vladimir Putin began talking about nuclear war, the Kremlin leader has been spending his time in bunkers, isolated from all but the closest staff members and sitting far apart from them even when they do appear. Indeed, his self-isolation in bunkers and long tables have become the stuff of Russian anecdote
Two of the bunkers, one deep under the Kremlin and a second near Moscow State University, Roman Feshchenko of Ukraine’s Novoye Vremya says, were described by American intelligence 30 years ago as was the underground train line connecting them (nv.ua/world/countries/gde-nahoditsya-putin-pyat-podzemnyh-bunkerov-diktatora-karta-poslednie-novosti-50285929.html).
They were clearly designed to protect the Soviet and then Russian leadership in the event of a war, but they appear to have been used by Putin to protect himself from infection during the pandemic., the Ukrainian journalist says. But they are far from the only bunkers Putin has available and appears to be using.
Among the most prominent are those near his dacha in Novo-Ogaryovo where he spends a great deal of time and has worked hard to avoid being infected during the pandemic. (For more details on that site see nv.ua/ukraine/politics/kak-reagiruet-okruzhenie-putina-na-voynu-protiv-ukrainy-50224659.html).
At a time when many Russians are seeking information on bomb shelters for themselves or even attempting to have them constructed, such information about their leader’s capacious arrangements is certain to offend many (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2022/11/russians-near-ukrainian-border-want-to.html).
At the very least, it will do Putin’s reputation as a courageous figure little good.
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