Russian President Vladimir Putin denied ownership of the properties that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny investigated.
Sputnik agency reported that during a meeting with university students on "Student Day" in Russia, Putin responded to a related question by saying: "I want to answer your question right away; I do not own any of those properties claimed to be mine, nor do my close relatives. This has never happened and will never happen." The Russian president explained that this information has been circulated for more than ten years, noting that those behind it found the opportunity suitable, saying, "They put everything together and decided to brainwash our citizens with all this material. They launched it on the internet; it's a sort of movie and video program."
The spokesperson for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, described the latest investigation conducted by Alexei Navalny about President Vladimir Putin's "palace" in Gelendzhik as a lie and "a berry that whets the appetite." Peskov told reporters: "Here, there is no need to clarify; you remember that just a few days ago, when this material appeared, we said it was not true, and that some of the hints about President Putin's connection to certain things in Gelendzhik do not correspond to reality; it is simply a lie. Putin has nothing to do with this matter."
Navalny had published a video on January 19, claiming that President Vladimir Putin spent a huge amount of money obtained illegally on building a luxurious palace on the Black Sea coast. Navalny released the video two days after being arrested by Russian authorities upon his return to Moscow and claimed in the video that the cost of the palace was $1.37 billion, calling it "the largest bribe in history." It is noteworthy that the video had over 20 million views within a day of its release.
