Vladimir Putin has in recent days hidden his family members in an ‘underground city’ in Siberia, according to a Russian professor. The luxury hi-tech bunker is located in the Altai Mountains and was designed for protection in the event of nuclear war, said political scientist Valery Solovey, 61.

Formerly a professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) – attended by future top diplomats and spies, Solovey has previously alleged Putin suffers medical problems hidden from the Russian public and has taken part in bizarre secret shamanic rituals alongside his defense minister Sergey Shoigu.

Some in Moscow dismiss Solovey as a conspiracy theorist or hoaxer, but just last week he was interrogated for seven hours by Russian authorities due to allegations he made about Putin’s medical and mental condition on a Telegram site he operates. His home was also searched and multiple electronic items were seized.

Solovey was subsequently released but the case is not closed. The claim comes as Russia pounds Kyiv and Kharkiv with missile strikes, leading to accusations that Putin is committing war crimes by deploying devastating cluster bombs on helpless civilians.

‘At the weekend, President Putin’s family was evacuated to a special bunker prepared in case of nuclear war,’ said the professor in a video. ‘This bunker is located in the [mountainous] Altai Republic. ‘In fact, it is not a bunker, but a whole underground city, equipped with the latest science and technology.’

He warned: ‘I hope this means something to you? That the President sends his family to this bunker?’ Solovey, who claims to have insider contacts in the Kremlin, is believed to be referring to a sprawling mountain dacha built ostensibly by energy behemoth Gazprom around a decade ago in the Ongudaysky district of the Altai Republic, a region of Siberia bordering Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. READ MORE