Inside a confiscated £550,000 Mercedes armoured limo that can withstand a BOMB strike owned by a Putin ally and ex-Arsenal shareholder

A £550,000 SANCTIONED oligarch’s armoured limo has four-inch thick glass and can resist a bomb assault.

In reaction to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, officials on the Italian island Sardinia impounded a Mercedes Maybach S650 Guard VR10 belonging to ex-Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov.

The black supercar, which weighs five tonnes and has a bombproof floor formed of a single armoured plate, is meant to withstand the simultaneous detonation of two hand grenades as well as an assault rifle attack with steel-tipped bullets.

According to Corriera della Sera, it was registered on June 6, 2018, and was purchased for £549,000 by a firm in Arzachena, Sassari.

Usmanov’s automobile, which has been compared to US President Barack Obama’s official limo “The Beast,” is thought to have been used by his close associate Vladimir Putin on his covert travels to the island.

The vehicle is outfitted with reinforced tyres that are meant to remain operating even when deflated. According to reports, changing four tyres costs more than a Fiat Panda.

It also has four-inch thick glass that provide best protection from Kalashnikov fire.

Because they are so hefty, pneumatic motors are required to power them because standard electric motors cannot.

Hydraulic pistons are also used to open and close the doors.

In addition, an internal air supply is built within the vehicle to be used in the case of a chemical assault.

At the stroke of a button, the driver or passengers can blast a “ear-piercing” alert in the event of an assault.

Police confiscated the car in Porto Cervo on the Costa Smeralda as part of EU sanctions targeting oligarchs with strong ties to the Kremlin.

According to Corriere della Sera, Putin may have utilised the armoured car on his covert visits to the resort, which is popular with Russian oligarchs.

The automobile is unquestionably more appropriate for a head of state than a businessman.

On important occasions, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also drives a Maybach S650 Guard.

His version, which is said to have cost £1.2 million, contains a self-repairing fuel tank composed of the same material as AH-64 Apache helicopters.

It can also withstand an explosion comparable to 15kg of TNT from just 6ft away.

Meanwhile, paranoid dictator Putin travels about Moscow in a seven-ton armoured limo capable of withstanding chemical weapons and keeping occupants alive even when completely submerged in water.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rides in an armoured Mercedes extended limo.