cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/44622771
The Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), founded by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has revealed the existence of yet another luxury palace linked to Vladimir Putin, this one on Cape Aya in Crimea. According to the investigation, the foundation obtained photographs of the secret property as well as detailed architectural plans. The cost of building the palace is estimated at about 10 billion rubles (roughly $125 million).
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According to the investigation, the complex features lavish interiors, a private medical center, a spa, a cryotherapy chamber, a helipad, an extensive private waterfront, and round-the-clock security. Technical facilities, buildings for staff, and an additional helipad are located higher up the slope.
The ACF published photographs of the interiors, including a ceremonial hall measuring 233 square meters (about 2,500 square feet)
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The linked article offers nice pictures:
- A bedroom of 154 square meters:
- As well as a 50-square-meter bathroom fitted with faucets costing nearly 3 million rubles ($38,000). Project documents show the bathroom contains 15 fittings with a combined price exceeding 11 million rubles ($140,000)
- One floor below, the palace has a private hospital. It includes a “general practitioner’s office” equipped with an ultrasound machine costing about 2 million rubles ($25,500), examination and massage tables, laboratory testing equipment, an electrocardiograph and physiotherapy devices. Nearby is a dental office, and farther down the corridor is an operating room with a surgical table priced at 4 million rubles ($51,000), a ventilator, a defibrillator-monitor, anesthesia equipment, patient monitoring systems, an X-ray machine, and devices for gastroscopy and colonoscopy.
- The left wing of the same floor houses a spa center, including a swimming pool.
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The foundation said the construction was financed in part by Vladimir Kolbin, the son of Putin’s childhood friend Pyotr Kolbin.
“Vladimir Kolbin paid for the construction of a winery at Putin's palace in Gelendzhik. We also found out that he gave 405 million rubles ($5.2 million) for the Crimean dacha. The company Aratron turned out to be the main sponsor of the construction on Cape Aya. This company transferred 3.6 billion rubles ($45.8 million)to the account of Bereg LLC [which owns the property]. And, of course, Kovalchuk and his network of offshore companies — Forstis — also participated in the Crimean construction project: almost 2 billion rubles ($25.5 million)came from this offshore company.”