Russia-Ukraine War: former US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivanwas interviewed last night by the CNN network and commented on the performance of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, at war in Europe. According to him, the Russian president now lives with his partner in a prestigious mansion outside Moscow, and due to his lifestyle, he began to fear for his life.
In the meantime, Western officials cast great doubt on the continuation of Putin’s lifestyle, and this in light of the heavy sanctions imposed on Russia since the war in Ukraine began. Some of the sanctions also included direct damage to Russian oil and the Russian financial system, such as sanctions against the major banks and the disconnection of Russia from the SWIFT global banking system. As a result, Sullivan believed that all the sanctions had a major impact on Putin’s lifestyle, which was significantly restricted for safety reasons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin participates in a video call of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects (Photo: Reuters, Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel)
According to Sullivan, “Putin can’t travel to many places, not even to the southwest of Russia to get to Sochi, one of the Russian president’s favorite places. He can’t travel by air for safety reasons, so he mostly travels by train. He is very worried from the economic effects of the sanctions”.
An independent media outlet operating in Russia recently published photos from Putin’s luxurious mansion, which is located about 400 km north of the Russian capital. According to the report, Putin used a Cypriot straw company to finance his luxurious lifestyle. On this, Sullivan said, “If there is money that flows in any way to Russia, it goes first to Putin, and the Russian people are aware of that.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin)
As you may remember, in order to increase his personal security during the war in Ukraine, the “Telegraph” newspaper reported that the President of Russia traveled around Russia in an armored train. According to the report, the Russian president is convinced that traveling by train is safer than flying by plane, because the plane can be tracked “more easily” and intercepted by many means.
The British newspaper also reported that the train is used by the Russian president to access his private estates, and boasts that the presidential train has work rooms and bedrooms and is loaded with advanced communication equipment. A Kremlin insider told a Russian investigative website that the construction cost of the train was estimated at $13.5 million, and that “after the outbreak of the war in February of last year, he began to actively use the train.”
Also, the investigation of the news website Proekt claimed that “Secret train lines and three stations were built for Putin in his various estates in order to allow him to travel by train. Also, satellite images identified that a private station was built close to another official residence of Putin, in Novo-Ugryovo, nearby to the capital Moscow. It was also reported that a train station was built for the special train in the center of Moscow, with a special VIP terminal, which is surrounded by a wire fence and surveillance cameras.