A "mystery fire" tore through Vladimir Putin's Siberian palace, which is rumored to house a nuclear bunker to protect the Russian president's "secret family," RadarOnline.com has learned.
The luxury high-tech compound is nestled in the mountains of Altai, a republic near Southern Siberia's border with Mongolia. The sprawling estate in the Ongudaysky district is said to be one of Putin's favorite hideaways.
The U.S. Sun reported on Friday that the flames "gutted" part of the estate, which is officially owned by Russia's energy company, Gazprom, and used by Putin to hold formal meetings.
The cause of the fire and the extent of damage are unknown, but local activists shared photos of the inferno, which reportedly destroyed a building where the Russian dictator once entertained former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi. The condition of the main complex remained unclear.
Local news organization Sirena reported via their Telegram account that the fire was discovered by blogger Amyr Aitashev and activist Aruna Arna.
The outlet said "various sources” attested to the presence of a "Putin bunker" that can allegedly accommodate up to 100k people.
The incident followed a string of "sabotage fires" targeting Russian facilities, suspected to have been set in retaliation against Putin's attacks on Ukraine. Hours earlier, United States President Joe Biden "secretly" gave Ukraine permission to strike Russian territories using American weapons, per Politico.
Local media reports said Russian officials refused to comment on the mysterious fire at the compound, which has been called a "specially protected facility intended for the recreation of senior officials."
The Sun also reportedthat Putin was rumored to have a "grim facility" on the burned-out property "where deer blood is extracted from antlers for 'medicinal' baths."
After sawing the antlers off Siberian stags, Putin and his cronies would take these "blood baths," believing the ancient ritual to be testosterone-boosting, and that it would "improve male potency."
The tyrant also reportedly planned to stash his "secret family" at the compound in the event of nuclear war. Putin is said to have several biological children, but their ages and identities are largely unknown.
The structure's existence first came to light in 2010, and a year later, Latvia-based Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that it had stumbled upon the facility—which is off-limits to the general public—after turning down a nondescript dirt road that opened up into an "impressive highway."
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian presidential helicopters were frequently seen buzzing around the mountainous compound.