Secret Trains And No Internet: Defector Offers A Rare Insight Into Putin's Paranoia
The Guardian|April 06, 2023
A senior Russian security officer who defected last year has given a rare insight into the paranoid lifestyle of Vladimir Putin, confirming details of a secret train network, identical offices in different cities, a strict personal quarantine and escalating security protocols.
Andrew Roth Pjotr Sauer
Secret Trains And No Internet: Defector Offers A Rare Insight Into Putin's Paranoia

Gleb Karakulov, who served as a captain in the Federal Protective Service (FSO), a powerful body tasked with protecting Russia’s highest-ranking officials, said the measures were designed to mask the whereabouts of the Russian president, whom he described as pathologically afraid for his life”.

The 36-year-old said the train was used because it cannot be tracked on any information resource it’s done for stealth purposes.”

The Russian investigative outlet Proekt had previously reported on the existence of the train and of a secret railway network including parallel lines and stations near Putin’s residences in the Valdai national park in Novo-Ogaryovo, and near his Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Guardian has reviewed an interview with Karakulov by the Dossier Centre, a political information outfit founded by the exiled Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and confirmed the credentials of the senior Russian communications engineer, who travelled with Putin extensively and helped transmit some of his most secret messages.

Denne historien er fra April 06, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 06, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE GUARDIANSe alt
Beaumont may step in at RFU if Ilube quits over pay fiasco
The Guardian

Beaumont may step in at RFU if Ilube quits over pay fiasco

Sir Bill Beaumont could be parachuted into the Rugby Football Union as interim chair in the event Tom Ilube falls on his sword amid the botched handling of the executive pay scandal engulfing the game.

time-read
1 min  |
December 20, 2024
'An exciting new era' Everton owners promise return to glory days after £500m deal
The Guardian

'An exciting new era' Everton owners promise return to glory days after £500m deal

The Friedkin Group vowed to restore Everton to their \"rightful place in the Premier League table\" after completing a takeover that brought the turbulent era of Farhad Moshiri to an end.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
Friedkin Group brings hope of much-needed stability and ambition
The Guardian

Friedkin Group brings hope of much-needed stability and ambition

The Friedkin Group's takeover of Everton represents a momentous day for those exhausted and resigned to calamity by the tenure of Farhad Moshiri.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
The Guardian

A humble Hamilton hero who was born to score

Ex-coaches in New Zealand on Chris Wood's rise from selfless schoolboy to poster boy at Nottingham Forest

time-read
5 mins  |
December 20, 2024
Solanke puts Spurs through despite Forster's blunders
The Guardian

Solanke puts Spurs through despite Forster's blunders

Like a song that changes time signature for the hell of it, like a friend that inexplicably blanks you, like a match report that noodles away for ages instead of just telling you what happened, Tottenham Hotspur remain medically incapable of doing things the simple way.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
“The World Cup loss fuelled a fire in me to become the best’
The Guardian

“The World Cup loss fuelled a fire in me to become the best’

Ellie Kildunne's infectious enthusiasm for the women's game has her dreaming of a Twickenham final in 2025

time-read
4 mins  |
December 20, 2024
'Usyk is fighting for his country': Dubois tips Fury to lose rematch
The Guardian

'Usyk is fighting for his country': Dubois tips Fury to lose rematch

Daniel Dubois, the IBF world heavyweight champion, believes that Oleksandr Usyk will again defeat Tyson Fury in Riyadh tomorrow night.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
The Guardian

Coe pledges radical reform in bid for IOC presidency

Sebastian Coe has promised to radically transform the International Olympic Committee if he is elected its next president in March - and says his track record of delivering at the London 2012 Games and at World Athletics shows he is the right choice for the leading job in sport.

time-read
1 min  |
December 20, 2024
Football's new fetish Forget Nicolas Jover and stylish set-piece coaches, bring on the directors of vibes
The Guardian

Football's new fetish Forget Nicolas Jover and stylish set-piece coaches, bring on the directors of vibes

It's 25 October 2012. Those of you who follow the Austrian regional leagues won't need reminding.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 20, 2024
Rush to start work caused enormous cost overruns, says new boss of HS2
The Guardian

Rush to start work caused enormous cost overruns, says new boss of HS2

Enormous budget overruns on the HS2 high-speed railway have been blamed by its new chief executive on a \"rush to start\", as the Department for Transport admitted it did not know what the line would cost.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 20, 2024