Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly moved his family to a safe "underground city" in Siberia to survive a nuclear war. The claims were made by a Russia professor, who said that Putin's family hasn't been seen in recent times and is safe in the secret "underground city", which is well protected by Russian military.
Valery Solovey, 61, a former professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), said that the high-tech city located in Altai Mountains is designed especially for protection in the event of nuclear war. The news comes as the world fears that Putin could go to any extent given that he is now frustrated after having failed to annex Ukraine's capital Kyiv after six days of intense fighting.
Putin's Secret Bunker
Solovey, who was a professor at MOMO, attended by future top diplomats and spies, has often been dismissed by the Russian media and Kremlin as a conspiracy theorist but his claims have time and again come true. According to a Daily Mail report, Putin's family was shifted to the secret "underground city" in Siberia on his orders.
"At the weekend, President Putin's family was evacuated to a special bunker prepared in case of nuclear war," Solovey said in a video message.
"This bunker is located in the [mountainous] Altai Republic. In fact, it is not a bunker, but a whole underground city, equipped with the latest science and technology," he added.
The professor, who has time and again been interrogated by the Russian police and intelligence, also warned that a nuclear war can't be ruled out. "I hope this means something to you? That the President sends his family to this bunker?" he warned, according to the outlet.
Solovey, who claims to have insider contacts in the Kremlin, is believed to be referring to a sprawling mountain dacha built ostensibly by energy behemoth Gazprom around a decade ago in the Ongudaysky district of the Altai Republic, a region of Siberia bordering Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan.
Solovey's claims can't be ruled out given that multiple ventilation points have been noticed in the grounds around the mountain hideaway, as well as a high-voltage connection connected to an ultra-modern 110 kilovolt substation capable of powering a sizable metropolis by sevral observers from time to time.
Massive German tunnel diggers were said to have been present throughout construction.
What's In Store?
The claims come as Russia continued missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv for the sixth day, prompting charges that Putin is committing war crimes by dropping deadly cluster bombs and vacuum bombs on defenseless civilians. Experts say that his army's failure to seize Kyiv and suffering massive losses has made him frustrated and he may now do to any extent.
Probably, that one reason he is taking all the measure to first safeguard his family in case of a nuclear war. Solovey did not name the members of Putin's family who were allegedly transferred to the bunker, but he has previously claimed that Alina Kabaeva, 38, an Olympic gold medalist in rhythmic gymnastics, is the Russian leader's secret spouse.
"This is his real family, and Alina is capable of influencing his decisions," Solovey had said last year.
Putin has two adult daughters: a geneticist, Maria Vorontsova, 36, and a dancer-turned-mathematician, Katerina Tikhonova, 35.
He is also said to have a daughter named Luiza Rozova, an 18-year-old heiress also known as Elizaveta Krivonogikh, from a prior relationship with cleaner-turned-multimillionaire Svetlana Krivonogikh, 45, who is now a part-owner of a large Russian bank.
He allegedly also has children with Kabaeva, but Kremlin has always denied those claims.
