Late Tuesday, which marked the opposition leader’s first day at the infamous Matrosskaya Tishina facility, his team dropped a colossal investigation into the president’s fortune, prompting Russians to look at what they claim to be Putin’s “Black Sea palace.”
Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) called the report “the largest investigation to date.” It contains accusations of extensive corruption schemes related to what is said to be Putin’s property estimated at about $ 1.4 billion.
CNN is not able to independently verify FBK claims. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the Russian leader was linked to the property on Tuesday.
“It simply came to our notice then. It was 2017 or 2016, if I’m not mistaken, that the first time it was mentioned there should be the so-called Putin’s palace in Gelendzhik. This is not true. he is not a palace, he is not the owner of any palace, “Peskov told CNN.
“All these are rumors and there have been some disputes between the owners of those spaces, but they have nothing to do with President Putin.”
The existence of the property was first reported more than a decade ago, when a businessman Sergei Kolesnikov published an open letter with various documents urging the then president, Dmitry Medvedev, to “stop the corruption” that finances the construction. the alleged palace.
The report and a documentary film of almost two hours also provide a more comprehensive look inside the palace. FBK says a subcontractor involved in the construction handed over detailed building plans, along with detailed lists of purchased furniture and samples of the floor models. The group then used these documents and photos obtained from construction workers to create 3D models of the interiors.
“This is like a state in a state ruled by an immovable tsar,” Navalny said in the documentary. “It is built so that no one can reach land, sea or air, thousands of people working there have forbidden to bring even a simple mobile phone with a camera … but we will take a look inside.”
According to plans, the 17,691-square-foot castle has 11 bedrooms, several living rooms and dining rooms, a private theater, a movie theater, a Las Vegas-style casino, two spas and a hammam, a bakery and a “ “Room” dirt with an unknown purpose. The rooms, decorated with velvet and lush carpets, have marble floors, columns and complex ceiling decorations, resembling the royal palaces of St. Petersburg.
A separate part of the report is dedicated to descriptions of amazingly expensive furniture made to order by an Italian luxury brand, including a $ 56,000 table and a $ 27,000 sofa.
Described on the FBK website as “the most controversial room in Putin’s palace”, the plan also includes a hookah lounge with what appears to be a dancer’s pole.
As the Navalny website sarcastically states: “In the plan it is designated as a ‘hookah room’.” And everything would be fine, but there is not a single window in that room, but for some reason there is a scene, a dressing room, spots and something very similar to a pillar drawn on the plan. We thought for a long time what it might be. Maybe I’m doing huge shawarme there … Or it’s a training ground for firefighters. “
The Navalny Anticorruption Foundation says the castle’s costs have risen due to constant renovations, according to interviews with people who worked at the site. The house initially had critical problems with the ventilation system and humidity levels, which led to the destruction of many rich interiors due to mold, according to the FBK probe.
FBK says the property surrounding the palace itself is estimated to occupy 68 hectares, but adds that the real property is probably about 100 times larger, with a large adjacent plot of land supposedly owned by the Federal Security Service or FSB, as estate stamp.
According to drone videos filmed by FBK, the property has a private hockey rink, a personal church, an amphitheater and a 2,500-square-meter greenhouse. The territory is heavily guarded, with several checkpoints leading to it; the ground itself is listed as a no-fly zone, per FBK.
The territory boasts extensive vineyards, where classical music is played non-stop, apparently to help grapes ripen, according to members of the region’s vineyard association who heard the music singing during a tour of the area, says FBK. The bathrooms in a vineyard processing facility are equipped with an Italian toilet brush for $ 850 and a toilet paper holder for $ 1,250.
Navalny claims that vinification is Putin’s “very expensive hobby,” and the Russian president serves this wine to his friends: “He drinks it with his Chinese friend Xi Jinping and, under the same chardonnay, discusses ‘deeper integration.’ with [Belarusian President Alexander] Lukashenko, “according to menu images, says they were served during official receptions.
Navalny also claims to have discovered a complicated system of financing the president’s property and other personal expenses. The report claims that Putin, at the beginning of his presidency, reached an agreement with Russian oligarchs and wealthy businessmen to “donate” part of their income to an investment firm. But 35% of these donations will then go to a special Swiss bank account of a company registered in Belize, Navalny claims. Reuters previously reported on the financial internet around Black Sea property in 2014.
Navalny, who was faced with the choice of disappearing into obscurity as an emigrant or returning to Russia and almost certainly closed on arrival, chose the latter option.
He was detained at an airport in Moscow late Sunday a few minutes after arriving from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from the Novichok poisoning he blamed on the Russian government. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.
The next morning Navalny faced an unexpected hearing in which the judge ordered him to be placed in custody for 30 days. He is now awaiting trial to determine whether he violated the terms of the suspended sentence in a 2014 embezzlement case, which he says was politically motivated.
Following the verdict on his detention, Navalny’s team announced a nationwide demonstration this weekend, and the report is seen as a way to attract more Russians to the streets.
“Above all, I want the same kind of anger that burns in me to burn in the people watching this video,” Navalny spokesman Kira Yarmysh tweeted. “Putin is robbing my country, shutting down my friends, he’s a murderer. And I want to fight. Moscow, Pushkin Square … I’ll be there. I hope to see you there too.”
In less than a day, the documentary has eclipsed 25 million views on YouTube and wants to go beyond Medvedev’s wealth report and Navalny’s investigations into his own poisoning.
The documentary featuring Medvedev’s mansion, among others, has been viewed more than 37 million times and has led to several mass protests throughout Russia. At the time, the Kremlin was illegally calling for protests, and Medvedev dismissed the report as “stupid.” The demonstrations ended with mass detentions; in Moscow alone, about 1,000 people were arrested.
CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report.