What is Putin up to? Mystery as Russian army DESTROYS ghost town

The disused military buildings dating from Soviet times were razed in an operation just before Christmas.

The former Red Army base was wiped off the map in the mysterious operation.

Video footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows a series of explosions flattening the Cold War fortification.

More than 12 tons of explosives – including TNT and charges based on ductile substances – were used to blow up the military town on December 23. 

A total of 85 barracks and storehouses were blitzed in the operation with another major operation in Chukotka region – close to Alaska – expected in May, reported The Siberian Times.

The region, which is close to Alaska, is seen as sensitive because of its proximity to the United States.

Chukotka was ruled by Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich for eight years when he was governor, a role he gave up in 2008.

Mr Putin is ploughing vast new resources into modernising military facilities in sub-arctic and polar regions of Russia – but the video shows he is also obliterating outdated Soviet facilities. 

A military spokesman said: “The operation destroyed 85 buildings which were not uniformly structured.

“They all had a different number of floors, thickness of walls and ceilings, and varying total area.”

The exact location of the former military facility was not revealed. 

The news comes as the size of the combined military personnel decreased by 300, according to a degree issued at the start of the year.

It read: “The size of the Russian Armed Forces should stand at 1,902,758 personnel, including 1,013,628 military servicemen.”

Russia’s Armed Forces currently includes the Army Ground Forces, Navy and Aerospace Force. There are also airborne forces, strategic missile forces and special forces.

The Russian Defence Ministry’s civilian staff, including cooks, drivers, psychologists and doctors, constitutes about 40% of the Armed Forces personnel.

Additional reporting by Will Stewart.