There should not one, not two – but three – equivalent presidential offices utilized by Vladimir Putin to intercept an assassination plot, it has been revealed.
Defectors have previously make clear the flowery arrangements aimed toward keeping the Russian president protected – including establishing replicas of his Kremlin office in multiple locations across Russia.
A brand new investigation by Systema shows that his office in Novo-Ogaryovo, aluxurious estate west of Moscow that has turn into his de facto residence, has been replicated in the previous Winter Olympics host city of Sochi, and likewise the town of Valday, which halfway between St Petersburg and Moscow.
This has allowed the Kremlin to blur Putin’s whereabouts during his official meetings and televised appearances.
As many as 700 videos from his meetings were reviewed, showing minute – but considerable – discrepancies, proving the clones exist.
One example is from a report aired on October 11, 2020, during which a state TV journalist interviews Putin a few test of a brand new hypersonic missile.
A tag within the corner of the screen says ‘Novo-Ogaryovo’ and the video shows the president heading for his office door and reaching for the handle.
And that’s the giveaway.
The position of the door handle and a number of other details reveal that this was not filmed at Novo-Ogaryovo in any respect.
Actually, it was shot nearly 1,000 miles to the south, within the office at Bocharov Ruchei, the state residence in Sochi.
Travel documents, the patterns on Putin’s ties, the form of a TV stand, the hue of a tabletop and the grain of a wood document tray on the desk are a few of the other clues proving the deception.
Increasingly in recent times, the president has favored Valdai, ever since February 2023, one yr after he launched the war in Ukraine.
In accordance with Systema, Kremlin footage and other leaked materials suggest that nearly all his meetings allegedly filmed at Novo-Ogaryovo this yr actually took place at Valdai.
Russian state TV crews are sworn to secrecy when filming him in any respect the choice locations, as are officials ordered to partially televised audiences with the despot.
Details about duplicate offices has appeared before, but all has been based on stories from sources.
Gleb Karakulov, an officer in Putin’s secretive personal security service who defected in October 2023 alongside his wife and daughter, revealed details concerning the ruse six months later.
He recalled: ‘There have been times once I knew he was in Sochi. The TV is on within the background; the news is on, they usually show him conducting a gathering in Novo-Ogaryovo.
‘So, I ask a colleague in Sochi, “Has he left already?” “No,” he says, “he’s still here.’”
Karakulov said his colleagues would laugh amongst themselves concerning the office replicas.
‘I believe that that is an try and confuse, first, [foreign] intelligence and second in order that there are not any assassination attempts,’ the defector said.
‘But that doesn’t stop him from being afraid. Why else would he need such a smoke screen?’
Other precautions reportedly orchestrated by the Kremlin include Putin having a body double.
Speculations surrounding this have been rife for the reason that starting of the full-scale invasion, but no proof has been shared yet.
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