It is 39 times the size of Monaco, is guarded by the FSB secret service and is located in a no-fly zone: Vladimir Putin’s palace on the Black Sea coast. Even if the Protzbau currently resembles a construction site, hundreds of photos bear witness to the former splendor.
A year ago, Alexei Navalny and his team published one of the biggest and most important revelations that the anti-corruption fund FBK has managed in its history. In a two-hour film, the opposition politician guided us through the halls of a palace being built on the Black Sea coast for none other than Vladimir Putin.
At that time, Navalny’s team reconstructed the original interior of the huge estate near the town of Gelendzhik using detailed building plans, shopping lists, furniture catalogues, lists of suppliers and old photos. The film was Navalny’s big hit against Putin, which came shortly after his arrest.
At the time of publication, not much was left of the glitz and glamor at the property. A massive mold infestation forced the builders to carry out a core renovation. Scaffolding and bare concrete walls adorned the palace at that time instead of golden eagles and wood paneling: the endless gray corridors were shown on Russian state television – in an attempt to punish Navalny from lying. But the leaked documents allowed a reconstruction of the former splendor that was to receive the owner of what is officially the largest private house in Russia. New photos now show how close the computer graphics came to reality.
On Thursday, Navalny’s team released several hundred footage showing the interior of the palace before it turned back into a construction site. “If you thought that we exaggerated the interior design in the film and went too far, think again. As so often, life has exceeded all of our expectations”, Maria Pevchich.
Gold as far as the eye can see
In some cases, the reconstructions correspond almost exactly to the original interior. For example in the case of the so-called reading room, as this room is called in the original building plans.
From the frescoes on the ceiling to the pattern of the marble floor to the gilded stucco and chandeliers – everything is consistent. Putin’s longing for the days of the Tsars is apparently so great that his reading room is suspiciously reminiscent of the large throne room in the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. This one is also all white and gold. The double-headed eagle, the official emblem and coat of arms of Russia, adorns the reading room countless times. This motif runs through the entire system.
The reconstruction of the master bedroom also looks strikingly similar to reality. The solid wooden furniture from an Italian luxury furniture maker is exactly where it should be according to the building plan. Even the table lamp is the same.
On other premises, which were less detailed in the palace plans, the Navalny team underestimated the owner’s penchant for gold and wood paneling. Above all, the design of the so-called shisha bar exceeds the wildest fantasies: “We have tried to the best of our conscience to make this room as tasteless as possible. […] But we simply could not imagine this Aladdin temple”, explains Pevchikh. “We’ve already thought of the style à la Thousand and One Nights. But that?”
However, what exactly matches the photographs and the building plans is the general arrangement of the furniture and building elements: from the placement of the TV screens to the position of the door frames and pole bar. And by the way, the double-headed eagle has also found its place here.
From the theater to the bathroom
The FBK team does not reveal exactly when the recordings were made. The sources are also not named – to protect them from possible persecution. Among other things, the theater, the pool, the work cabinet, the wine cellar, the dining room or the bathroom that belongs to the master bedroom can be seen.
An interesting detail: when Navalny’s reconstruction was published, many Kremlin propagandists complained about the armchair placed in the bathroom. Why would you need an armchair compared to a toilet bowl? That’s the tenor. But lo and behold: the photos actually show an armchair in the main bathroom. Exactly where it was supposed to be according to the blueprint and in exactly the design specified.
Restaurant complex instead of orangery
Further construction plans were also sent to the FBK team. These reveal what is hidden behind the walls of other buildings on the huge property. The complex, which was mistaken for an orangery due to its planted roof, turned out to be a kind of food court with several restaurants, bars, terraces, a rooftop pool and much more.
Little history of the palace for Vladimir Putin
The existence of the palace became known for the first time in 2010. At the time, entrepreneur and Putin confidant Sergei Kolesnikov gave out the inside scoop, publishing contracts and other documents related to the construction. The project was developed by businessman Nikolai Shamalov on behalf of Vladimir Putin, Kolesnikov said at the time.
However, the outrage that followed was so great that the Kremlin rushed to sell it to the billionaire and Putin loyalist Alexander Ponomarenko. He wanted to make a hotel out of the palace, he announced. All a ruse. Eleven years later, the palace is still a residence and not a hotel.
Navalny brought the forgotten palace back on the agenda last year. In a two-hour film, he not only reconstructed the imperialist interior of the estate, but also uncovered the sophisticated system used to conceal ownership. Countless documents from the Russian tax, building or customs authorities, annual reports from the individual companies on which the individual components of the property are registered, or legal authorizations prove: The construction was sponsored by a special offshore fund to the oligarchs and friends of Putin “donate”.
The property and the associated wineries as well as the scallop farm are managed exclusively by old friends and loyalists of Putin. At the center of the web is a man named Mikhail Shelomov. The greatest merit of his life is probably his degree of relationship to the Kremlin gentleman. He is Putin’s second nephew.
Official owners do not change
And nothing has changed in this construct since the unveiling. Although the Kremlin declared after the excitement that the entire property belongs to the oligarch and old friend of Putin Arkady Rotenberg. He bought the property and the palace a few years ago and is planning to do so “Apart-Hotel” to make of it, he explained last year. But his name does not appear once in the documents – to this day.
Source From: Stern
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