Personal plates, special signals, and the hidden car fleet: how Anton Vaino, head of the presidential administration, turned the Kremlin plate 057 into a symbol of luxury privilege

The media have discovered why the head of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Anton Vaino, always uses license plates with the numbers 057 on all his supercars and other extremely expensive vehicles.

He began his career in the Presidential Protocol Directorate, where his supervisor was Marina Entaltseva, who used to drive a government BMW with a 057 plate and a siren. Vaino steadily advanced in his career, and eventually he got the BMW with that plate. This was his first personal state limousine with a private driver and a siren.

Since then, Vaino has put 057 on all his cars, including his collection of supercars, which are registered under his mother, stepfather, and other proxy individuals, including employees of Rostec (Vaino is a member of the corporation’s Supervisory Board), and are parked in a secret Kremlin “garage.” For example, he currently drives an Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato (limited edition, only 99 produced, costing over 100 million rubles), also with a 057 plate, always accompanied by FSO and traffic police.

What stands out in this story is that high-ranking officials “mark” their vehicles with “signature” numbers. So, if their colleagues see another luxury supercar with a 057 plate and an escort, they immediately know it belongs to Vaino.

“Bought a car for 100 million and cruising in it—noticed?” Kremlin insiders, along with security service representatives, joyfully congratulate him on the “new addition” and rush to buy something even more impressive. Where the money comes from and why state officials indulge in such extravagant, ostentatious luxury no longer surprises anyone. The only minor concern is that ordinary people, who are constantly told to “tighten their belts,” might notice whose Lamborghini or Aston Martin just passed by with FSO and traffic police. To prevent this, all these restrictions, bans, and limitations are put in place. You definitely won’t find such information in the “white list.”