In the midst of the ongoing war with Ukraine, there has been a big disclosure about Russian President Vladimir Putin. In fact, there has been talk of Putin having a super luxury train which has facilities ranging from gym, spa to bathroom. It has been called Putin's secret train by some. Let's know what is special in Putin's intelligence train...
This is how the disclosure about the train happened
Details of Putin's luxury train have emerged from recently leaked documents obtained by the London-based Russian investigative group Dossier Center. The Dossier Center says the leaked documents come from an insider at Zircon Service, a Russian company. In fact, the Russian Railways had entrusted the task of preparing the coach for Putin to Zircon Service.
These documents mention an official letter related to the train. In fact, on August 5 last year, this letter was sent to the country's transport administration by top officials of the Putin administration. In this, the transport administration was asked to install gym equipment in a sports-health wagon (massage parlour) in a particular train. Along with the gym room, the decoration of the rooms of the train was also mentioned in it. Leaked documents reveal that the 'sports-health wagon' is used by none other than Putin himself.
The train started being built in 2014
Gleb Karakulov, a former captain in the Federal Security Service (FSO, the Russian presidential guard), explained that work and the installation of communications equipment on the train first began around 2014. This train was made in 2018. A meeting was held in November 2018 to assess the rest of the work on the gym room. In addition to officials from Zircon Service and Russian Railways, 10 officials from the FSO were present at that meeting.
There was also a proposal to make living quarters on the two rooms of the train. In 2020, a top Russian Railways official wrote to the FSO official, requesting him to review the proposals.
The train was used several times in 2021, when Russia was preparing for war against Ukraine. Since the start of the war, Putin has spent a lot of time by train near the Valdai region between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Putin has maintained a large residence in the region, which is famous for its bucolic lakes and forests.
Why is the train special?
Even though the information about Putin's use of the train is public, its special facilities were not yet revealed to the people. Earlier, the Kremlin itself has released pictures of meetings held in an ornate boardroom. However, the contents of the other 20 rooms of the train have been carefully secured. The train is designed for Putin to travel within the country in comfort and privacy.
The recently released pictures show the grand interior of the train. It also revealed pictures of a luxurious gym and spa built for Putin. At the time the photographs were taken, it was fitted with Technogym weights and resistance equipment manufactured by the Italian company. Later these were replaced by hoist machines made by an American company.
What are the facilities in the train?
The doors and windows in Putin's heavily armed train are bulletproof. Also the trains are equipped with life saving medical equipment and facilities. The train has a host of facilities including a fully equipped gym, a massage parlor with anti-ageing machines, lush bedrooms and dining rooms.
Radio-frequency machine to enhance the suppleness of the skin
There is a cosmetology center included in the special rooms of the train. There is a massage table and a variety of beauty equipment. It also includes a radio-frequency machine used to enhance the suppleness of the skin. The room is set up in such a way that no audio equipment is used. The tiled bathroom at the end of the train features a turkey steam bath and shower.
Train cost Rs 609 crore
It has a movie theatre, a car with a diesel power generator and several coaches equipped with a communication system that keeps Putin connected with the outside world. The cost of this train is estimated to be around Rs 609 crore and the annual maintenance cost is around Rs 130 crore.
The train has a communications antenna mounted in a dome which is not seen on normal Russian trains. Some websites have posted a picture of the train with the caption that it is a secret train of the Russian Railways.
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