Gelendzhik Palace, Vladimir Putin’s decadent hideaway in southern Russia, is pretty much everything you’d expect from an infamous strongman’s resort.
A sprawling mansion of pleasure eclipsing Buckingham Palace in size, the white-walled structure is delicately perched atop the cliffs of the Krasnodar region with sweeping views of the Black Sea.
Its interior houses a casino, an underground ice rink and an “entertainment room” with strip sticks.
And as if that weren’t enough, the Russian President and his VIP guests can relax and unwind in the palace’s lounge bar, or unwind after a workout in the fully equipped gym by visiting the private spa. of the despot.
Gelendzhik Palace, estimated to be worth around £1billion, is just one of Putin’s lavish private residences across Russia.
But plans for the incredible property released online by a now-defunct Russian construction company have truly cemented the palace’s status as a dark lair fit for a James Bond villain.
The diagrams, which were uncovered by the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by jailed Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, show an intricate network of secret wells buried deep beneath the structure, as well as two survival and escape tunnels that could accommodate VIP occupants for weeks.
Gelendzhik Palace is seen in this drone footage released by the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, with the exit hatch from the second tunnel pictured in the lower right
The exit hatches of the two tunnels are visible in this image. Navalny’s associates say the upper tunnel serves as a protected living quarters and the exit is well disguised. There would be a window at the end of the tunnel allowing the occupants to contemplate the sea
A bird’s-eye map shows the location of the palace, the direction of the tunnels and their exit points through the coastline
A cross-section of the elevator shaft shows six separate ventilation shafts (red) and exhaust shafts (blue) as well as water, electricity and sewer lines
An aerial view of a property, located along the Black Sea in southern Russia
The palace is part of a huge complex located on the Black Sea coast near Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Plans for Putin’s incredible Black Sea estate cemented the palace’s status as a dark lair fit for a James Bond villain
By all accounts, the palace offers an experience only for the mega-rich and is equipped with the security to match.
The building is surrounded by around 17,000 acres of land owned by Russia’s FSB security service, with no-fly and no-boat zones protecting it from prying eyes.
A marina and helipads were built to give the president easy access to the palace, as well as a railway that would be Putin’s preferred form of transportation.
But the discovery of the tunnels shows that the Russian president is truly prepared for any eventuality.
On closer inspection, the plans suggest that the tunnels were designed to protect their occupants from any disaster.
Annotations on the plans show that the tunnels are encased in thick layers of concrete and moisture-proof materials, with multiple ventilation and air filtration shafts and even their own power supply.
In the event of a disaster or an attack on the palace, Putin and his cronies would simply rush to a hidden elevator locked deep within the building.
The shaft, which runs on a separate power system, transports VIPs deep underground, where they have a choice of two tunnels.
The first tunnel is about 40 meters long and is sunk into the cliffs, with the exit emerging about halfway up the cliff.
Navalny’s team called this tunnel a “tasting room” – saying it contains suitable living quarters where Putin and his associates could enjoy sea views while remaining protected.
‘It’s a huge window that offers the best possible sea view. Here you can enjoy a glass of wine…it’s not some kind of balcony where you’re constantly in danger, but a very safe underground place where nothing threatens you,” the Anti-Corruption Foundation report said. corruption.
The second tunnel – presumably the preferred option in circumstances that require escape rather than shelter – is 60 meters long and emerges directly onto the coastline.
A hatch, located just off a thin gravel road a few meters out to sea, is clearly visible in drone footage captured by Navalny’s team.
This diagram shows the elevator shaft leading to two tunnels – one of which is located in the cliff and the other which extends to the beach
This is a plan of the lower tunnel. It shows a detailed view of the cables and pipes that supply the tunnel with water, electricity and a sewage system, as well as emergency fire extinguishing systems, moisture sealing materials and ventilation channels.
A large room with tall ceilings is shown in images of the palace interior released by Navalny’s team
Other images show a bedroom Putin allegedly slept in, a second bedroom and his office, and a swimming pool
Alexei Navalny’s team released a photo which they claim shows a pole dancing hall inside the palace
The location of the hatches seen in the drone footage closely matches the map of the tunnels released by Metro Style – a former subway construction company that originally released the plans.
The development of Gelendzhik Palace was reportedly funded by several close Putin allies, including Igor Sechin – head of Russian oil giant Rosneft – and billionaire tycoon Gennady Timchenko.
Amid controversy over the palace fueled by the release of the Anti-Corruption Foundation investigation in 2021, oligarch Arkady Rotenberg denied it belonged to Putin and said he owned the sprawling property at the top of a cliff.
Billionaire Rotenberg is Putin’s former judo training partner and perhaps his closest childhood friend.
The interior of the palace has since been gutted and is being renovated due to what Navalny aide Maria Pevchikh said was mold due to poor ventilation, the Moscow time reported.
But given the entirely separate network of ventilation shafts, electricity, water and sewer tunnels, it is reasonable to assume that Putin’s hidden bunker and its escape routes remain in good condition.
The discovery of the network of secret tunnels suggests that another of Putin’s mega-palaces on the shores of Lake Valdai northwest of Moscow could be outfitted with a similar setup.
