Vladimir Putin is generally reluctant to leave Moscow, and this has been true of him since the war in Ukraine. The last two years have been an exception in this regard, when he has mostly visited Asian destinations, North Korea, friendly Vietnam or even Beijing. Russian presidential planes also have a history, because while before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Soviet heads of government and party secretaries flew on plain Tupolev, Ilyushin or Yak-40 aircraft, things changed during the time of the first Russian president, Boris Yeltsin.

In the early 1990s, the IL-96 versions of the Ilyushin aircraft entered service. The IL-90-300, which became the basic version of the presidential special aircraft, was made from this series, and the PU was added to its name, which is a Russian abbreviation and means"point of command". Russia has used a total of four Il-96s as presidential aircraft. The first was used by the aforementioned President Boris Yeltsin, the second by Putin from 2005, and then in 2010, the then President Dmitry Medvedev announced that he would expand the fleet with two more aircraft, which were manufactured at the Voronezh Aircraft Plant. The latest, the fifth presidential aircraft, was completed in 2016, and the fleet is based at Vnukovo Airport.

The flight characteristics of this type are the same as those of the basic version, but its range has been increased. The special aircraft, called the “Flying Kremlin”, is equipped with special communication systems that ensure contact with the leadership of the Russian armed forces. It has a laser missile defense system as well as a modern Fly-by-Wire flight control system. In case of danger, it is capable of keeping the entire Russian government in the air, just like the US president’s special aircraft, Air Force One.

The compilation of special planes can be seen in this video.

Gym and gold toilet on board President Putin's special plane

The planes are also used by high-ranking members of the Russian government. The special aircraft, along with the Tu-214s and Mi-38 helicopters used alongside them, are operated by the Special Aviation Squadron, which is under the presidency and employs 2,500 people. The tail of the presidential plane is decorated with either the Russian coat of arms or the Russian presidential flag.

There aren't many photos of the interior of the special aircraft. However, those that are public show that it is equipped with everything from a boardroom to a study and bedroom to a separate gym and dining room, and is stocked with an incredible amount of food and drink. The bathroom even has a toilet made of gold.

The thorough tour was thanks to a young Russian. President Putin regularly fulfills the requests of disadvantaged children. One of them was given the opportunity to be shown around the huge plane. Of course, the young man was not able to peek behind every door, as he received a video camera as a gift from Putin himself, with which he captured his unusual visit.