According to the UK Daily Mail, investigators with the Anti-Corruption Foundation uncovered the blueprints for an underground structure beneath Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mansion in southern Russia.
Gelendzhik Palace, one of President Putin’s many lavish properties in Russia, is situated on top of the cliffs overlooking the Black Sea in the Krasnodar region of Russia. According to the Daily Mail, the palace is estimated to cost around £1 billion.
The blueprints, which were published online by a defunct construction company in Russia, were obtained by the Anti-Corruption Foundation, the group founded by jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The entire estate sits on about 17,000 acres owned by the FSB, Russia’s security services. It is protected by both no-fly and no-boat zones and includes a private marina and helicopter pads, as well as a railway, all to provide easy access for President Putin.
The schematics reveal a network of secret shafts below the mansion that leads to two tunnels that could be used as bunkers. Based on the blueprints, the tunnels are constructed with thick layers of concrete and include multiple air filtration and ventilation shafts and separate power supplies.
The investigators believe that the two tunnels could be used for an emergency in case of an attack or a disaster.
The first tunnel is approximately 40 meters long and is set into the cliffs overlooking the Black Sea with an exit emerging on the cliff face about halfway down.
Navalny’s team suspects that the first tunnel contains living quarters with a window offering views of the Black Sea.
The second tunnel is believed to be an escape tunnel rather than a bunker. It is 60 meters long with an escape hatch located next to a gravel road just a few meters from the coastline.
The escape hatch for the second tunnel is visible in drone footage captured by Navalny’s investigators.
