Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official vehicle list mentions three cars, all of which were produced during the time of the USSR. In this surprisingly modest inventory, we obviously find a Lada Niva.
For some years now, the Kremlin has published an annual inventory of Vladimir Putin’s heritage. This list includes real estate and vehicles. If we rely on this official publication of the Russian government, defined by a presidential decree dating from 2013, the head of state turns out to be rather modest, and patriotic, in his possessions in the matter.
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The inevitable Lada Niva
The document mentions three cars belonging to the Russian president. And what better symbol of its national automotive industry than a Lada Niva? Vladimir Putin owns a copy of the famous small off-roader launched in 1977 during the Soviet era. In 2009, to promote the capabilities of his country in terms of vehicle production, he showed himself behind the wheel of the car. His Niva with “camouflage” patterns is equipped with a “snorkel” air intake, a bull bar, protective grilles in front of his lights, a winch, and large rims not appearing in the catalog of the builder. Note that Lada has belonged since 2017 to the Renault group, of which the French State is the largest shareholder, holding 15.01% of the company’s capital. The Niva is definitely made to span borders.
Full throttle for Putin
The other two cars officially listed among Vladimir Putin’s properties are two GAZ Volga M21s. This high-end sedan produced in the 1950s and 1960s has become iconic of the USSR. Displaying a surprisingly American style, it was notably used in official contexts at that time, and astronaut Yuri Gagarin owned one. Last “vehicle” indicated in the official list: a trailer that Vladimir Putin keeps with his cars in an 18 m² garage. The inventory also mentions two apartments of 77 m² and 154 m² respectively, and indicates the declared annual income of the president: just under 10 million rubles, or around €115,000.
Obviously, this list makes opponents of Vladimir Putin wince, in Russia as elsewhere. According to some of them, the fortune of the Head of State could amount to 200 billion euros, a good part of which would be placed in goods and companies that would not be directly in the name of the leader, in particular at the foreign, not to mention Russian state properties that Putin enjoys. For his official trips, the resident of the Kremlin uses an armored limousine Aurus Senat, a 6.5 ton mastodon powered by a 600 hp V8.
