Inside Putin’s secret bolthole with a ‘stolen waterfall’ and his own helipad
Putin reportedly shares the hidden retreat with his lover Alina Kabaeva.
A new video sheds light on Vladimir Putin’s secret northern hideout only 18 miles from Russia’s border with NATO.
The dictator, 71, has reportedly ‘stolen’ part of a commandeered national park close to the Russian NATO border with Finland.
Putin’s lake-and-forest hideout, which is larger than Monaco, is situated in Lake Ladoga National Park in Karelia which stretches as far north as the Faroe Islands.
And his neighbour – who is still around two and a half miles away – is reportedly the former Chelsea tycoon Roman Abramovich.
The hidden bolt hole, which Putin shares with his lover, 40-year-old Alina Kabaeva, a retired world-famous gymnast and now politician, sits beside the stunning 13ft Marjalahti waterfall.
The hideout has a modern-looking gazebo in full view of the beauty spot that’s sealed off so ordinary Russian people cannot get in, according to independent news outlet Dossier Centre.
Several features give away the fact that this is part of Putin’s huge portfolio of secret homes and palaces hidden from the Russian people.
Dossier journalist Ilya Rozhdestvenskiy described how behind the barn you can see a mound.
While it’s still unknown exactly what the site is being used for, Rozhdestvenskiy said that satellite images suggest there is an air defence system in place.
Rozhdestvenskiy wrote: ‘This is not the first time that marks on the ground – from the supports of military equipment deployed in combat positions from the air – have protected the President.
’Since the beginning of the war, all of Putin’s main residences have been covered by the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system.’
The journalist went on to describe how the barn is more like a reception house, and inside there is a living room with its own brewery and a tea room on the second floor.
The building also has a pool or fountain.
Rozhdestvenskiy also described how the retreat has a ‘separate underground entrance, a helipad and a pier for yachts [on Lake Ladoga], as well as the gazebo opposite the waterfall’.
What appears to be a fisherman’s hut also has a helipad and pier.
And semi-precious stones are even used to decorate the interior.
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The Russian president can also enjoy ‘nature in complete solitude’ in the bathhouse, complete with a trout fishery and farm.
This features a secluded gazebo with breathtaking views of the lake beyond.
The journalist added: ‘You can get here not only by air [helicopter], but also by yacht. To do this, Putin has a whole flotilla at his disposal.’
As confirmed by the Russian Real Estate Registry, Abramovich’s mansion, complete with a sauna and restaurant, lies two and a half miles away.
And a hotel owned by Yuri Kovalchuk, said to be Putin’s old friend and ‘personal banker’ is close by too.
Rozhdestvenskiy has described how Kovalchuk has created a network of companies that manage Putin’s leisure activities and are responsible for all of his real estate.
This includes the Russian President’s Black Sea palace near Gelendzhik as well as the mansion in Valdai, according to the report on YouTube channel Khodorkovsky.
The report went on to say that Abramovich is not part of Putin’s inner circle but has ‘always been close to the echelons of power’.
When the Russian president visits his northern luxury retreat local security is always replaced with FSO officers.
Rozhdestvenskiy added: ‘The entrances are blocked, and neighbouring islands [on the lake] are blocked.
’The houses are fenced, with CCTV cameras and motion sensors on the fences.
‘There is barbed wire running through the adjacent forest.’
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