The developments in Ukraine are not entirely in favor of Russia, which would have wanted the operation to be quick and surgical. Putin recently surprised his senior generals by requesting a nuclear drill, raising suspicions that he is preparing for a nuclear war. Another Russian expert has previously suggested that Putin and his family have relocated to a secret location that is not simply a bunker, but a massive underground metropolis, in order to protect them from the effects of a nuclear war.
Putin has already threatened NATO members with “consequences bigger than any you have encountered in history” if they participate in the Ukraine conflict, and earlier this month put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert. Russia launched an ‘unstoppable’ nuclear-capable Kinzhal hypersonic missile on Saturday, striking a Ukrainian military storage site. All this has increased the escalations to never seen levels.
According to a recent post on a Telegram channel General SVR, Senior political people were informed on behalf of the president that, potentially in the near future, they will join in practising evacuation in event of a nuclear war. All of those who received this warning were taken aback by the President’s plan and were deeply concerned.
‘However, everyone confirmed their willingness to participate.’ A fleet of ‘flying Kremlins’ – Ilyushin Il-80 Maxdomes on perpetual reserve – would be deployed by Putin and his closest supporters to stay above a potential nuclear conflict, according to Russian plans.
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These ‘doomsday’ planes are expected to be replaced by customized Ilyushin 96-400Ms, which will allow the Russian leader to manage soldiers and weapons in the event of an atomic attack. The ultramodern bunker in the sky isn’t expected to be ready for a while.
While the channel was initially rejected as untrustworthy, recent briefings attributed to Western intelligence have echoed its claims about Putin’s alleged health difficulties. ‘The general mental state of Vladimir Putin has recently prompted anxiety among members in the president’s inner circle,’ the channel added.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, Putin apparently only communicated with his closest circle, but even they were asked to submit feces samples several times a week to check for infection and, in certain cases, to isolate for two weeks before meetings.
For years, there have been rumors about the Russian president’s health, with claims that he has cancer, Parkinson’s disease, or is suffering from ‘brain fog’ caused by lengthy Covid-19. This, combined with Putin’s decision earlier this month to put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert has fueled fears that the world is on the verge of nuclear war.