A Black Sea coastal mansion often associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly been redesigned to incorporate a church complete with a throne, as per a report from the Russian investigative outlet Proekt.
The mansion’s existence was first disclosed in 2021 by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
The outlet recently released videos of the renovated “Putin’s palace.” The mansion’s existence was first disclosed in 2021 by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who mentioned its amenities like a wine cellar, casino, and ice rink. There has been no official response from Russia regarding the Proekt report.
The palace is isolated from the rest of Russia by 17,000 acres of forest and a designated no-fly zone. Proekt noted, “Many viewers of Navalny’s video remembered the entertainment areas – with a pole, a casino, as well as a room with toy cars and a railway,” adding that these areas no longer exist. The report also suggests that Putin’s renovations indicate an apparent obsession with war and religion.
Images reveal a personal church with a triptych and a wooden throne. Art historians and an icon painter identified the triptych as depicting “Saint Prince Vladimir,” according to Proekt.
Proekt highlighted a chandelier made with red crystals from the French manufacturer Baccarat, costing $1 million. In his 2021 video, Navalny claimed the property’s value at $1.3 billion, alleging it was financed through a corrupt scheme in which Putin granted top positions and lucrative government projects to his allies at partially state-owned energy companies. When Navalny exposed Putin’s Black Sea complex in 2021, thousands of Russians took to the streets. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report’s claims at the time as “pure nonsense.”
