Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “favorite chauffeur” has died in a high speed, head-on crash, Moscow sources are reporting.
The Russian president, who was just in attendance at the G20 Summit in China, was not in the car at the time.
CCTV footage that caught the accident on Moscow’s Kutuzovsky Avenue this morning shows a Mercedes suddenly crossing to the wrong side of the street and violently crashing headlong into the BMW being driven by Putin’s driver.
It was reported the Russian President’s man was killed instantly in the crash.
Russian media did not report the driver’s name, but did note that he had a 40-year career as a driver and was one of Putin’s most trusted motor pool employees.
The driver of the offending vehicle was taken to a local hospital and listed in critical condition.
Russian authorities have already voiced a concern over the vehicles the Russian President is ferried around in and have ordered new Russian-made vehicles with heavy armor and bullet proof glass, according to The Sun newspaper.
The new transport fleet will feature doors ten times thicker than a normal car door and will even have their own oxygen systems. The fleet will include an SUV, a limo, a sedan, and a mini-van version of the heavily protected design.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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