Vladimir Putin has hidden his family in an ‘underground city’ in Siberia, according to a Russian professor known for his wild conspiracy theories.
The luxury high-tech bunker is located in the Altai Mountains and was designed for protection in the event of a nuclear war, said political scientist Valery Solovey.
He said the moving of Putin’s family came with a ‘failure’ of his strategic plan to conquer Ukraine, said Solovey.
The academic has previously alleged the President has medical problems hidden from the Russian public.
He also claimed that the strongman and his defence minister Sergei Shoigu have taken part in bizarre secret shamanic rituals.
‘At the weekend, President Putin’s family was evacuated to a special bunker prepared in case of nuclear war,’ said the professor in a video.
‘This bunker is located in the [mountainous] Altai Republic. In fact, it is not a bunker, but a whole underground city, equipped with the latest science and technology.’
He warned: ‘I hope this means something to you? That the President sends his family to this bunker.’
Solovey, 61, did not identity the President’s relatives, but he has previously alleged Olympic Gold-winning rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 38, is his secret spouse.
‘This is his real family, and Alina is capable of influencing his decisions,’ he said last year.
Solovey, who claims to have insider contacts in the Kremlin, is believed to be referring to a sprawling mountain dacha built ostensibly by energy behemoth Gazprom around a decade ago.
It was constructed in the Ongudaysky district of the Altai Republic, a region of Siberia bordering Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.
Observers have noted multiple ventilation points in the grounds surrounding the mountain hideout, and a high voltage line linked to an ultra-modern 110 kilovolt substation, enough to power a small city.
During construction, vast German tunnel diggers were reported to have been at the site.
The latest claim comes as Russia pounds Kyiv and Kharkiv with rockets, leading to accusations that Putin is committing war crimes in striking innocent civilians with ‘vacuum bombs’.
Putin’s invasion is said to be well behind schedule, having been met with fiercer resistance than anticipated from the Ukrainian people.
Some in Moscow dismiss Solovey as a conspiracy theorist or hoaxer, but he was last week held for a seven hour interrogation apparently linked to a Telegram site he runs and which has made multiple allegations about Putin’s medical and mental condition.
Formerly a professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) – attended by future top diplomats and spies – he was subsequently released but the case is not closed. His home was searched and multiple electronic items were seized.
One of his more outlandish claims was that Shoigu arranged for Putin to attend a shamanic ritual in Siberia which involved the sacrifice of a black wolf in a rite to improve the president’s health.
Shoigu is currently in personal control of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
‘A piece of white fabric was soaked with the wolf’s blood and burned,’ said an anonymous Telegram channel General SVR linked to Solovey in September 2021.
‘They allegedly saw a black raven in the smoke that circled for a long time. For some reason, this sign was explained to Putin as a great success.’
Quizzed over his claims strongly denied by the Kremlin that Putin had a serious illness, Solovey said: ‘I do not use the expression “terminally ill” and I have never used it. I use a euphemism: personal circumstances of compelling force.’
He has suggested in the past Putin was suffering from early stage Parkinson’s Disease, and that he has a secret life-threatening illness, but has not produced proof for his assertions.
Putin has two adult daughters Dr Maria Vorontsova, 36, a geneticist, and Katerina, 35, a high-kicking rock’n’roll dancer-turned-mathematician.
He is also reported to have a daughter Luiza Rozova, a 18-year-old heiress also known as Elizaveta Krivonogikh, from a previous relationship with cleaner-turned-multimillionaire Svetlana Krivonogikh, 45, now a part-owner of a major Russian bank.
Unconfirmed rumours denied by the Kremlin say he has children with Kabaeva. Putin has previously said: ‘I have a private life in which I do not permit interference. It must be respected.’
He deplored ‘those who with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies prowl into others’ lives’.
