During Vladimir Putin’s journey to Vladivostok to participate in the Eastern Economic Forum, a van equipped with an anti-aircraft machine gun was spotted in his official convoy, reports The Moscow Times. Images of the presidential convoy near the airport were published by the local page Svodka-25. In addition, military personnel and military equipment were deployed along the route taken by the official convoy. Locals complained in discussion groups about the traffic jams caused by road closures.
In Vladivostok, Putin used for the second time a plane access ladder covered with an arched structure, noted the journalists from “Sibir.Realii”. Such a construction was observed for the first time on August 31, during the dictator’s trip to Bishkek for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
When Putin made visits to Kazakhstan in May, to Novosibirsk in August, and to India in December last year, he descended from the plane on ordinary, uncovered stairs.
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Military expert David Șarp attributed the change to the strengthening of security measures. According to him, if the panels around the stairs are made of bulletproof glass, they can protect Putin in a vulnerable moment, while he is between the plane and the ground and before he can be directly protected by security agents.