Vladimir Putin and his top officials have gone into hiding in “luxury nuclear bunkers” following an interview which was not allowed to be published as it was out-ruled by Russian authorities.

Investigative journalist and head of Bellingcat Christo Grozev shared his knowledge with Kremlin officials following developments with a Russian investigative newspaper.

On Monday the Russian state media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, after they announced the suspension of Novaya Gazeta following multiple warnings.

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Grozev was asked Novaya Gazeta why the Russian Minister of Defence, Sergei Shoigu, has not appeared in public for many weeks, and asked if they had any information over his disappearance.

The Bellingcat journalist said, “Sergei Shoigu is located in bunkers or in one of the Russian governmental facilities that cannot be destroyed by a retaliatory strike – for example after a nuclear strike.”

He added, “This is logical, it is not very strange and we are seeing constant flights of the Kremlin aviation including such aircraft that Shoigu was seen to be onboard to Ufa and back.”

According to the expert, the planes started to fly only on the day of the start of the war in Ukraine and the flights became more frequent from 2 March and that the top officials are “somewhere in the bunker.”

Grozev said, “Maybe he (Shoigu) is somewhere in the bunker.

“These flights are done transparently and the transponders of the planes are not turned off.”

Grozev said there were other flights recorded towards northern parts of Russia, above the Ural Mountains, he added, the transponders are always turned off in the last half hour.

He added, ”So, it’s likely that there are other, more ‘elite’ bunkers and ‘comfortable’ than those for the general staff.

“These luxury bunkers are also hidden better than the one at Ufa.”

The Bellingcat investigative journalist was then asked why would Russian officials hide in luxury nuclear bunkers as there is no threat of World War 3, the expert warned, “Well, I don’t agree that there is no threat of a Third World War.”