‘My life was in danger’: Rail enthusiast flees Russia after photographing Putin’s armoured train

Trainspotter Mikhail Korotkov’s blog was his passion – but shutting up shop and leaving home felt like the only option after pictures he posted of his favourite target attracted some unwanted attention, finds Robyn Dixon

A selection of train photos taken by Mikhail Korotkov (Mikhail Korotkov)

For Mikhail Korotkov, a lifelong trainspotter, one unusual train on Russia’s railways became an obsession – like stalking a rare, shy beast.

Korotkov, 31, spent years tracking and photographing president Vladimir Putin’s hush-hush deluxe armored train. He was the first enthusiast to post an image of the train – sleek sliver with red-and-grey detailing, often pulled by multiple boxy locomotives – online in 2018. “Mere mortals do not travel on such a train,” Korotkov wrote.

Finding and photographing the train was both terrifying and exhilarating. To Korotkov, it was like a creepy “ghost train”, with a secret timetable, no identifying locomotive numbers and its windows always screened. At least, one of the rail cars has an unusual dome on top – believed to house special communications equipment.