Leaks reveal Putin's secret residences via FSB fitness app

The portal Belsat reports the latest developments concerning Vladimir Putin, citing the conclusions of French journalists. Notably, the source of the information leak was reportedly a training app used by FSB officers. The bodyguards unknowingly disclosed their location over several years.

Le Monde's analysis indicated that several of Putin's bodyguards appeared within a radius of approximately 10 kilometres around the Russian president's luxury residence in Gelendzhik, in the Krasnodar region by the Black Sea. The late opposition leader Alexei Navalny revealed this property. The Kremlin has never confirmed that this building belongs to the President.

The palace is believed to be a 16-story bunker and covers about 18,000 square metres. It reportedly includes 11 bedrooms, fountains, pools, a special tunnel leading to the beach, a concert hall, a relaxation room, a wine cellar, a theatre, and a casino.

According to Le Monde, FSB officers appeared near the palace between August 19 and September 22 each year. This was observed annually from 2019 to 2023. One bodyguard reportedly even appeared this year for three days and was directly beneath the residence.

Interestingly, information about other residences was also leaked. Putin is said to have a palace in Karelia near the Finnish border. An agent was also conducting training sessions there. Another bodyguard, who travelled with the President to Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi, practiced in 2022.

In September 2023, another FSB officer shared data. As Belsat reported, he was running in the city of Blagoveshchensk in eastern Russia a few days before Vladimir Putin met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at the nearby Vostochny Cosmodrome.