For years, journalists trying to track Russian President Vladimir Putin have had to look for clues in the strangest places, even the plants in his offices, according to a report by The New York Times.

US President Donald Trump’s secret switch from Air Force One to another aircraft on a Turkish tarmac may have stunned the world. But when it comes to hiding a president’s movements, Russia has taken secrecy to an entirely different level.

For years, journalists trying to track Russian President Vladimir Putin have had to look for clues in the strangest places, even the plants in his offices, according to a report by The New York Times.

Tracking Putin Through Wilting Plants

Earlier this year, reporters studying televised Kremlin meetings noticed something unusual. The condition of plants visible in Putin’s offices appeared to change in ways that did not match the dates announced for his meetings.

The apparent reversal in leaf decay suggested that some meetings had been recorded on different days, and sometimes in a different order, from what the Kremlin claimed.

For Russian journalists, such deception is not new.

Mikhail Rubin, a Russian investigative reporter, said that Trump’s secret swap was “child’s play” compared to Russia.

Farida Rustamova, a Russian journalist covering the Kremlin from exile, described official claims about Putin’s whereabouts as “just a regular Tuesday”.

Identical Offices And A Secret Train

Putin’s security operation has gone far beyond delayed announcements. Reports have found that he works from nearly identical offices at different residences, making it difficult to determine where he actually is.

Tiny details can give the locations away, the position of door handles, seams in walls and other seemingly insignificant features.

His movements are also reportedly protected by a specially equipped presidential train. Satellite images and news reports have pointed to secret railway stations and tracks near several of his residences.

A former Russian security service officer said Putin used trains to avoid being tracked. Leaked documents have described an armoured presidential train disguised as an ordinary passenger service, reportedly equipped with a gym, spa and secure communications systems.

Meetings Recorded In Secret

The Kremlin has also been accused of filming meetings and releasing them days or even weeks later while presenting them as live or recent events.

Russian journalists have a name for such delayed footage: konservy, or “canned goods”.

In some cases, reporters have spotted inconsistencies in what officials say. Participants have referred to events that had already happened, while their clothes or hairstyles appeared to belong to another point in time.

Rubin said his experience covering the Kremlin taught him something even more fundamental about Putin’s public image, “that Putin’s public image is made up, it’s an absolute lie from beginning to end.”

Ukraine War Raises The Stakes

Putin’s obsession with secrecy intensified during the pandemic, when officials were required to quarantine before meeting him.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, security measures have reportedly tightened further as Ukrainian drones have reached deeper inside Russia.

Even Putin’s motorcades have become the subject of speculation. Some in Moscow believe convoys racing through the capital may sometimes be decoys, according to the report.