ANALYSIS – Ukrainian special ops strike again? Vladimir Putin's supposedly secret Altai Mountains compound, said to be equipped with an extensive underground nuclear bunker, has been partly destroyed by a mystery fire.
The location is also reportedly used by Putin for his “medicinal” baths in freshly extracted deer antler blood.
The fire was revealed by Russian bloggers and the palace is in the Altai Republic, a region of Siberia bordering Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. (RELATED: Putin Threatens To Expand Into NATO's Baltic Sea ‘Lake')
In the photos online one building can be seen engulfed in flames.
The remote luxury compound, known officially as Altai Yard, and owned by the Russian state energy company Gazprom as a sanatorium and resort complex, is used almost exclusively by Putin and other regime figures. (RELATED: Germany Seizes Control Of Russian Refineries As Signs Of Frustration With Putin Grow)
Ordinary Russians cannot go anywhere near the elite hideaway.
In 2011, Russian correspondents were denied access to the territory by security who said it is “a specially protected facility intended for the recreation of senior officials of the state.”
Pravda reported that:
Information about a classified construction project in the Ongudaysky district of the Republic of Altai appeared in 2010, with up to RUB 3 billion (about US$33.1 million) spent on this project. Local opposition figures have repeatedly spoken about the complex's links to Putin.
The media also claims that the complex includes a special farm with a smallholding for extracting the antler [blood] of maral deer, which, as Russian media previously reported, can be used by Putin to bathe in.
The grisly ancient tradition is believed to provide a testosterone-driven concoction to improve male potency, but also as bringing other health benefits.
At the time of the compound's construction, there were reports of a massive, hi-tech bunker being built at the facility for Putin and his family to use in the event of nuclear war.
According to reports, observers “have noted multiple ventilation points in the grounds surrounding the mountain hideout, and a high voltage line linked to an ultra-modern 110-kilovolt substation, enough to power a small city.” (RELATED: Russia Upgrades Facility Near Ukraine, Raising Concerns Of Nuclear Weapon Storage)
During construction, vast German tunnel diggers were also reported to have been at the site.
In addition to his Altai Mountains estate, Putin has also been linked to a number of other secretive homes and palaces. According to the U.S. Sun, they include:
A palace in a billionaire's village outside Moscow
A secret retreat on the Black Sea
A holiday home in Vyborg Bay
A lake house near St Petersburg
His official state residences include Novo-Ogaryevo, the Kremlin, Bocharov Ruchey in Sochi and his Valdai residence. (RELATED: Putin ‘Co-Pilots' Russian Nuclear Bomber In Message To West)
Despite all these options, the sprawling estate in Altai is said to be one of Putin's favorite hideaways.
The cause of the inferno is still unknown, but it comes after months of “sabotage fires” at key Russian facilities by foes of Putin's brutal war against Ukraine.
It would not be surprising if local operatives linked to the Ukrainian intelligence services were involved in this significant sabotage op.
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