Putin Suddenly Cancels Visit To Russia's Largest Tank Factory

• 23.12.2022, 12:12

A number of bans had been imposed on the city and the company ahead of the visit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suddenly cancelled a visit to the state's largest tank factory, Uralvagonzavod. It would have been the Kremlin dictator's first trip to the Urals since 2019. Rehearsals of the motorcade were held in the city before his arrival, UNIAN reported.

The E1 and TagilCity portals shared the relevant information. Putin was reportedly due to arrive in Ekaterinburg today, December 23. He planned to hold a government meeting and talk to the employees of Uralvagonzavod.

The city was preparing for the arrival of the Kremlin dictator and beforehand provided a motorcade - five Aurus sedans, two of which were limousines. The drivers of the cars were rehearsing Putin's passage through the streets of Ekaterinburg, which caused some traffic problems. The vehicles are now at the Koltsovo airport, waiting to be flown back to Moscow.

Prior to Putin's visit, local authorities imposed a number of bans. For example, public-transport drivers have been ordered not to let people off their buses if the president's motorcade is passing by. Training cars were not allowed to appear on the streets of Nizhny Tagil, and all Christmas parties in Dzerzhinsky District, where Uralvagonzavod is located, were banned.

The ban also affected employees of the plant. They were not allowed to move around the workshops during Putin's visit. In addition, a no-fly zone was established over Nizhny Tagil.