VIP aircraft and helicopters

A particularly difficult schedule and the great traffic jams in Moscow have forced Vladimir Putin to choose a helicopter rather than a car. When traveling in Moscow, the president uses Mi-8 helicopters with a special modification that makes them a kind of flying offices. Inside there is a huge plasma screen, with a leather interior and much equipment, from a computer to a coffee machine, through a refrigerator.

For long distances the president uses a modified version of the Il-96 passenger plane, which has remained in service as the main presidential plane since 1996. In his memoirs the former director's security service of the president, Alexander Korzhakov, referred to the " impressive interior "of the cabin. "Inside the new plane one could work and live in a way no less comfortable than in the Kremlin," he recalls. In 2013, two new Il aircraft were purchased for 88.5 million dollars each.

The president's air fleet also includes the Russian Tu-214 aircraft, a Sukhoi Superjet 100, as well as business jets Falcon and AirbusA319.

The Kremlin does not show the public the interior of these airplanes, at the same time that it denies the rumors about the ostentatious luxury of the interior. Vladimir Kozhin, former head of the Management Board, says that inside "there are no precious stones or luxury bathrooms." There is a work area, another recreational area, means to communicate with any department and control centers for the direction of the nuclear forces. In the SuperJet there is a living room, a bedroom, a shower and a bathroom. According to official information, in 2016 the presidential fleet consisted of 37 aircraft and 18 helicopters. It should be mentioned that not only the president makes use of them, but also other senior officials, including the prime minister and the two presidential spokespersons, as well as certain judges and security officials.

It is expected that by early 2018 the president will start using a Russian-made limousine that is part of the Kortezh project. So far Putin has used Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman vehicles. There are 11 registered models in the Kremlin, including several manufactured between 1996 and 2000.

Putin also has a private collection of vehicles that does not get much media attention and that he hardly uses in public. It consists mainly of Soviet-made vehicles and is housed in a garage located in their residence in Novo-Ogavevo, in the Moscow region. Among others it has a Volga of 1956, a Zaporozhets of 1972 made in Ukraine and a Zhigulí of 1970.

Putin has two yachts, three steamboats, seven boats and a catamaran. What's more, all this (except the presidential yacht Chaika) can be publicly rented at the Rus tourist complex, run by the Kremlin Property Management Council.

The six-cabin Turkish yacht called Chaika ('Seagull' in Russian) has a spa pool and a gym and was purchased second-hand. According to official information, it was acquired in 2011 for 1,500 million rubles (about 25.5 million dollars) and replaced the Kavkaz yacht, built at the beginning of the 80s.

On the other hand is the motor yacht Azimut 38, acquired for 20 million rubles ($ 340,000). It has teak wood floors and interiors dyed oak. One hour's rent costs 10,000 rubles (170 dollars).

In 2010 the world could see another image of Putin: that of biker. At that time he was prime minister and led a convoy of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Sevastopol. Seven years later he declared that he has a Kawasaki motorcycle, although "he prefers not to drive it". After that, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, had serious problems to discredit the myth that Putin was a biker and stressed that the president has no bikes in his private collection.

"The garage with special features has motorcycles inside its own equipment.On several occasions, but of course, the president does not have a motorcycle for his personal use and does not drive one," Peskov said.

Those who do drive motorcycles are the members of the presidential guard, to whom the president visits occasionally.