Kathrine Frich
When powerful leaders feel the walls closing in, their first instinct is often to pull their loved ones close.
Keeping family members out of the spotlight becomes an obsession. But for one world leader, protecting his inner circle requires a literal fortress.
Retreat to the forest
Vladimir Putin has reportedly ordered his two eldest daughters to move into a highly secure compound. The Russian president is allegedly terrified of assassination attempts. Because of this deep paranoia, he wants his family hidden safely away.
According to the investigative outlet We Can Explain cited by Express, Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova recently relocated to the Valdai palace complex. The massive estate sits surrounded by thick trees roughly 230 miles northwest of Moscow. They also brought their young children along.
The luxurious forest retreat is already quite crowded. It currently serves as the main residence for his partner, Alina Kabaeva, and their two young sons.
Rings of heavy armour
Turning a country property into an impenetrable bunker takes serious military hardware. The sprawling estate now bristles with 27 air defence towers built in two massive rings. Two years ago, the compound only had seven.
Ukrainian drone strikes keep pushing further across the border, so the guards are taking absolutely no chances. A deep underground shelter provides ultimate protection, the Express noted.
The security panic extends far beyond the forest walls. Russian officials recently shut down the entire Kremlin surveillance network to check for cyber threats, the Financial Times reported.
Watching the cameras
The massive camera blackout was not a random maintenance check. Security teams panicked after hearing that American and Israeli spies used hacked camera feeds to track Iranian leadership. Experts only turned the local internet system back on after sealing every digital loophole.
While most of the family hides behind military defences, one alleged member remains far away. His rumoured third daughter stays out of the bunker. Luiza Rozova reportedly lives quietly in Paris.
Meanwhile, the two eldest daughters still hold major state roles from behind the heavy barricades. Vorontsova works as a medical researcher, while Tikhonova manages massive national technology projects.
Sources: Express, We Can Explain, Financial Times
