Russian media outlets have disclosed the full truth regarding the palace that opposition figure Alexei Navalny claimed was built as a secret luxury residence for President Vladimir Putin.
A reporter from "Russia 1," Alexander Ragatkin, prepared a news report revealing the complete situation around and inside the palace located in the vicinity of Gelendzhik in southern Russia. The video report showed the actual condition of the construction, which was at an initial stage, with none of the rooms furnished or even painted.
In the same context, journalist Ragatkin told Sputnik News that the project does not belong to the Russian president but is merely an investment project for a luxury hotel for wealthy individuals in a tourist area. He stated, "We went to the first floor of the palace where there are many rooms, and all of them were under construction and not ready at all. The second floor is similar to the first, showing that the palace is not finished either internally or externally."
Furthermore, the Russian journalist added, "As for the ownership of the project, it is definitely not the Russian president. We met the owner who showed us the legal documents, but he refused to disclose his name." Ragatkin also pointed out that the people currently working on the project had recently arrived to continue construction after the property was sold to someone else.
In a private conversation with a security officer at the palace, he mentioned that he has served at the location for around 10 years, indicating that the property had been initiated several years ago but had stopped frequently and had been linked to a transportation company. He had not seen Putin or any Russian officials in the area during this entire period.
Previously, President Vladimir Putin denied any connection to the Gelendzhik palace, while the Kremlin clarified that the site belongs to businesspeople. Notably, supporters of prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny released a video, shortly after he was detained by Russian authorities upon returning to his country, claiming it showed the secret palace of the Russian president, estimated to cost one billion pounds sterling. Navalny asserted that he had leaked blueprints for Putin's luxurious properties on the southern Black Sea coast, according to the British newspaper "The Daily Mail."
