Mysterious Blaze Engulfs Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Siberian Mountain Retreat

A mysterious fire has ravaged part of Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s secret mountain palace in the Altai region of Siberia. 

The palace has long been shrouded in secrecy, with the Russian public barred from accessing the “specially protected facility intended for the recreation of senior officials of the state,” as stated by a government website.

Blogger Amyr Aitashev and activist Aruna Arna reported the inferno, which destroyed one of the buildings within the expansive estate. While the full extent of the damage to the complex’s main residence remains unclear, the blaze has sparked speculation and concern among Putin’s critics and opposition investigators.

The Altai Mountain retreat, officially owned by the state-run Gazprom energy corporation, is believed to be one of the numerous luxury palaces the Russian president maintains. It has previously hosted high-profile guests like former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The compound is rumored to house a grim facility where deer antler blood is extracted for the “medicinal” purposes of Putin and his inner circle. This ancient practice, often said to be a testosterone-boosting elixir and an anti-aging remedy for women, lacks substantial scientific evidence but has nonetheless become a peculiar obsession for the Russian leader.

Reports suggest that the estate’s extensive grounds feature multiple ventilation points and a high-voltage power line connected to an advanced substation, hinting at the presence of a sophisticated underground bunker. In the construction phase, the site was said to have employed vast German tunnel-digging machinery, further fueling speculation about its clandestine purpose.

The timing of the fire is particularly noteworthy, as it comes just hours after Ukraine received the go-ahead from the United States to use American-supplied weapons for “counter-fire purposes” against Russian aggressors. This move by the Biden administration is seen as a significant shift in U.S. policy and will likely heighten tensions with the already paranoid Putin.

The rumor mill around Putin has been in overdrive in recent months. Many observers have speculated about the president’s health and leaked U.S. military cables say that he was receiving treatment for cancer last year.