Increasingly paranoid Russian leader Vladimir Putin has taken to travelling in a luxury armoured “ghost” train with its own spa.
The customised train, which ferries the dictator between secret sites across Russia, features a Turkish bath with a “fancy shower” which includes "aroma foam" mode costing £3.75 million.
It also includes a gym and a cosmetology salon, according to a report from the Dossier Centre, which is linked to opposition politician Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
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The train even has special “anti-aging machines” as well as a lung ventilator, defibrillator, and a patient monitor – “in other words – everything you need for a portable ER”.
It is all paid for by the Russian taxpayers who know nothing about it, says the report.
The armoured train – currently undergoing a £60 million upgrade – cannot be tracked in the way his plane can, and from the outside it resembles other services used by his compatriots.
"It's not a simple luxury, it's a super luxury,” said rail expert Dmitry".
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“A shower, a full-size toilet, a phone, a gigantic Panasonic TV, DVD, and VHS players, just to name a few," he said. “Everything is finished with natural wood, some State symbols are present."
“The armour doesn't cover the whole train, but rather parts,” said the report. “The armour is Level III+, which withstands shots from an AK-47 or an SVD rifle.
“The carriages also have loopholes for return fire, and some rooms are protected against eavesdropping.
A cosmetology room has "hardware protection from the leakage of acoustic information".
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The train also has a dedicated secure phone line. The upgraded version will include a train cinema and a new health carriage – perhaps an indication that Putin’s health is less than perfect.
“There is a ghost train on the Russian railway,” said Mikhail Korotkov, а photographer who emigrated under pressure from the security services.
“It can't be found in any timetables or public systems.
“Its windows are curtained, the locomotives have no numbers and identifications….
“All the other regular trains move out of the way for it.
It has a Grand Service Express logo on the sides, and the plates always show the same route: Yevpatoria – St. Petersburg.”
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Putin is known as “The Chief Passenger” on a train which can deliver him to his Valdai Palace which he shares with lover Alina Kabaeva, or his Black Sea cliff top £1 billion Gelendzhik retreat. Both are equipped with nuclear bunkers.
Special stations have been built for key Putin locations including his main Moscow region residence Novo-Ogaryovo.
The Dossier Centre researchers sifted through 25,000 pages of documentation to establish links to the construction of the train and its maintenance.
It travels at 100mph – not faster due to the weight of its armour.
Some carriages weigh 100 tons.
The upgraded version is expected to be speedier, up to 124mph
“Any plane can be tracked,” said the report.
“Or you can use an armoured train.
“And, as the Dossier Centre found out, it's not only safer but also way more comfortable.
“Now we know what's inside an actual presidential train.”
A special communications system keeps Putin in touch with the world – and enables him to watch his believed propaganda channels on TV without interruption even when he goes through a tunnel.
Funding is via Putin’s oligarch friends including Yury Kovalchuk, one of his closest cronies.
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