On March 29, a luxury car exploded and caught fire on the streets of Moscow, raising concerns about the security situation in the city. If it were an ordinary car, it might not have attracted much attention. However, this car was one of the vehicles in Russian President Vladimir Putin's official motorcade. The incident took place near the Lubyanka district where the headquarters of the Russian Federal Security Service is located. Considering that Zelensky said a few days ago that "Putin will die soon", it's hard not to suspect that this was another assassination attempt carried out by Ukrainian agents.
According to Russian official media reports, the car explosion and fire occurred on Sretenka Street, not far north of the FSB headquarters. The live - stream video shows that the fire started in the engine area and then spread into the car. There were several restaurants and bars near where the car was parked. After the fire was discovered, the staff of the restaurants and bars quickly tried to rescue. Then the firefighters arrived and gradually brought the fire under control. So far, the Russian official has not reported any casualties, and it is speculated that there were no people in the car at that time.
This luxury car belongs to the Property Management Department of the President of Russia, worth between $350,000 and $500,000, a real luxury vehicle. The Russian official has not yet defined the nature of this incident, but the possible reasons are as follows.
First, mechanical failure. This is one of the most common reasons for vehicle fires. For example, an overheated engine can cause short - circuits in the wires or fuel leaks, which can lead to an explosion or fire due to high temperatures. However, considering that the "Golden Marshal" (Aurus Senat) is a domestic luxury car in Russia and an armored vehicle specially customized for the presidential motorcade, with a high safety factor, it is less likely to have the above - mentioned failures. But since the fire started in the engine area, it cannot be ruled out that it was an accident caused by factors such as aging and wear.
Second, it could be the work of foreign spies or Ukrainian agents. A typical example is the incident in December last year when Igor Kirillov, the commander of the Russian radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, and his assistant were killed in a bombing on Lyzhanskaya Street in the southeast of Moscow. It was carried out by a killer hired by Ukraine. The tool used in that case was an electric vehicle parked at the entrance of an apartment building, which had been pre - installed with an explosive device. The explosive equivalent was about 300 grams of TNT, and a large number of steel balls were also loaded. The perpetrator was a 29 - year - old Uzbek man, hired by the Ukrainian intelligence department for a reward of $1000 (100,000 rubles). This was the first successful assassination of a senior Russian military officer in the center of Moscow by Ukraine since the Russia - Ukraine war, exposing the loopholes in Russia's anti - terrorism and anti - espionage operations during the war. Due to Ukraine's overall disadvantage on the battlefield, it has repeatedly used "asymmetric warfare" to retaliate against high - level Russian military officials. In 2023, a drone even flew directly outside the Kremlin. Fortunately, Putin was not working there at that time. It's hard not to suspect that this accident involving a vehicle in Putin's motorcade was another "assassination" attempt by Ukraine. But the problem is that the security level of Putin's motorcade is the highest in Russia. It's really puzzling how Ukrainian agents could install explosive devices.
As the President of Russia, Putin has a very complete security system around him. Considering that the country is in a state of war, the security specifications have reached an unprecedentedly strict level, even higher than before. In terms of the institutional system, the main organizations responsible for protecting Putin are the Federal Protective Service (FSO) itself and its subordinate Presidential Security Service (SBP). The former has about 50,000 employees in total and protects other senior officials besides the President. Its subordinate Presidential Security Service has more than 2,500 employees and is the core security unit for Putin, responsible for 24 - hour close - protection. Its personnel are very elite, selected from the best of various special forces, with top - notch combat qualities and political loyalty. Its internal departments can be divided into about four: the first is the department responsible for the President's 24 - hour protection, with personnel equipped with weapons and communication devices; the second is the peripheral surveillance agent section, mainly responsible for warning of potential threats, such as monitoring crowds and vehicles; the third is the sniper unit, specially responsible for being deployed at high points or hidden locations to counter potential threats; the fourth is the intelligence and electronic department, responsible for intercepting suspicious communications or conducting electronic warfare.
Presidents or heads of state around the world are used to using armored cars. For safety reasons, these vehicles do not use imported parts and are all domestically manufactured. Russia is no exception. The Aurus Senat armored car that Putin rides in was developed by the State Automobile Engineering Research Institute. It is powered by a 4.4 - liter V8 twin - turbocharged gasoline engine that can output 598 horsepower, and there is also a 40 - horsepower electric motor. The top speed of the whole vehicle is 250 kilometers per hour, and it can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers in about 6 seconds. It uses a 9 - speed automatic transmission and a full - time four - wheel drive system. The vehicle is 6.7 meters long and weighs 7 tons. It can withstand 7.62 - millimeter armor - piercing bullets, high - explosive explosives, and small rockets. The windows are made of multi - layer bullet - proof glass, and the vehicle body is made of composite armor composed of high - strength steel, titanium, and ceramics. The vehicle is equipped with its own oxygen supply system to prevent chemical/biological attacks. The tires are run - flat tires with strong explosion - proof capabilities. There are also a large number of advanced devices in the car, including night - vision cameras, automatic fire - extinguishing systems, adaptive cruise and emergency braking assistance driving systems, and smoke - generating devices. Even if the whole car falls into a lake or a river, all functions can still be used normally. Its manufacturing plant is located in the NAMI industrial area in Moscow, and the actual production volume is very low. This car made its debut at Putin's inauguration ceremony in May 2018, replacing the previous Mercedes - Benz S600 Pullman Guard. This replacement was probably caused by a car accident on September 7, 2016: At that time, Putin's Mercedes - Benz car was involved in a car accident in Moscow, colliding with an ordinary private car, resulting in the immediate death of the driver. Fortunately, Putin was not in the car and escaped unharmed. After that, the Russian high - level seemed to have lost trust in this car, which accelerated the research and development of domestic armored cars. In 2024, Putin also presented two Aurus Senat cars to North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong - un, and the President of Turkmenistan also has the same model.
The Aurus Senat is undoubtedly a powerful "doomsday chariot". It's really unexpected that such an accident could happen to it. Considering that ordinary people have no chance to get close to this car, it is very difficult to install explosives on it. Therefore, the possibility of a mechanical failure is very high. In addition, although Zelensky said that Putin is likely to "die soon", this may not mean an assassination attempt. It may refer to Putin's early resignation or his health problems. In recent years, there have been continuous rumors about the deterioration of Putin's health. Budanov, the leader of the Ukrainian intelligence department (SBU), even claimed to have fully grasped Putin's health situation and told The New York Times that Putin suffers from "multiple serious diseases, including cancer". The statements of Ukraine are of course not credible, and Zelensky's statement is more like a public mockery or threat to Putin. As for assassinating Putin, not to mention whether Ukraine can do it, if it really did, the consequences would be unimaginable: Russia might activate an emergency plan to deal with the situation, and it is not impossible for Russia to launch nuclear bombs at Ukraine. Such an extreme act of "assassinating Putin" would only lead to self - destruction for Ukraine, unless it is ready to "go down together".