Putin’s limousine and cavalcade make late night dash to Kremlin – sparking fears he is plotting major new move in Ukraine war following rail station missile strike that killed 22
- Putin’s Aurus limousine and cavalcade was seen racing towards the Kremlin
- There was no comment from the Kremlin over the unusual late night dash
- It has prompted fears of a sudden escalation in the Ukraine invasion
A ‘midnight dash’ by Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin has triggered fears he is plotting a major new move in the war in Ukraine.
His Aurus limousine and cavalcade was seen driving at high speed to the Russian seat of power.
Putin is in the habit of pre-recording key announcements with a Kremlin backdrop.
His night-time address – which launched his ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine – six months ago is widely believed to have been recorded sometime prior to its screening.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin over the footage of the unusual late night dash through central Moscow by his cavalcade.
A ‘midnight dash’ by Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin has triggered fears he is plotting a major new move in the war in Ukraine
Putin (pictured at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow yesterday) is in the habit of pre-recording key announcements with a Kremlin backdrop
It came hours after Putin’s missiles rained down on a railway station, killing 22, in his latest savage attack which coincided with Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrating 31 years free from the Soviet Union.
The Telegram channel which first aired the footage – Operation Z: Military Commissars of the Russian Spring, with 900,000 followers – subsequently deleted it, possibly under official pressure, but other unofficial outlets showed it.
One headline ran: ‘Putin’s cortege is rushing to the Kremlin – wonder what for?’
Putin does not live at the Kremlin – the Russian seat of power – but at his Moscow region official residence Novo-Ogaryovo, some 20 miles away.
His Aurus limousine and cavalcade was seen driving at high speed to the Russian seat of power
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin over the footage of the unusual late night dash through central Moscow by his cavalcade
In the summer, he is often based at another residence on the Black Sea.
Political analyst and former MP Sergey Markov claimed Putin’s dash to the Kremlin could be linked to a move to declare Ukraine a ‘terrorist state’.
Another theory was that he planned to announce a major escalation of the war amid a US announcement for massive new military support for Ukraine.
‘Ukrainian [social media] must be trembling while reporting that right now Putin has arrived at the Kremlin – which means some important decisions will be made,’ he said.
It came hours after Putin’s missiles rained down on a railway station, killing 22, in his latest savage attack
On Wednesday, Putin had held a meeting evidently from Novo-Ogaryovo on wildfires threatening regions close to Moscow.
A day earlier he was seen in a Kremlin meeting with ex-deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov, now chairman of state development corporation VEB.RF.
However, there was suspicion this was ‘canned footage’ that had been recorded earlier.
