Last Tuesday, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s team released their “biggest investigation yet” and invited Russians (and the world) to peer inside a Black Sea property his team alleges belongs to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) allege that they have discovered vast corruption schemes related to what they say is Putin’s property estimated to be worth around $1.4 billion. The video has racked up 100 million views on YouTube. Russians have taken to calling the property Putin’s Aqua Disco, and have been inspired to create a variety of catchy music videos and memes making fun of some of the more ridiculous rooms on the property.
However, the story about a Black Sea property dubbed, “Putin’s Palace” is not new. In 2011, it was reported that Russian businessman Alexander Ponomarenko bought the property and took over its debt obligations with the intention of turning the facility into a hotel and conference center.
When reached for comment, the spokesperson at Sheremetyevo Airport, whose board of directors is chaired by Ponomarenko, told Russia Business Today, “Alexander Ponomarenko exited the project in question in March 2016. Mr. Ponomarenko does not have any information regarding the status of this facility.”
Some sources indicated that an inability to come to an agreement with the creditors was the reason to exit the project.
Last week, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for President Putin, denied the Russian leader was linked to the estate.
“They are repeating the old story. It was the year of 2017 or 2016, if I’m not mistaken, that the first time it was mentioned there should be the so-called palace of Putin in Gelendzhik. This is not true. There is no palace, he is not an owner of any palace,” Peskov told CNN. “Those are all rumors and there were some disputes between the owners of those premises but they really have no connection with President Putin.”
Russia Business Today was unable to independently verify the FBK’s claims about the property.
On Saturday, Arkady Rotenberg announced that the property was his. After the appearance of Rotenberg’s statements, the press service of Sheremetyevo announced that “it does not confirm the sale by Alexander Ponomarenko of the property in 2016 to the person in question.” A source close to one of the parties to the transaction told RBC that Rotenberg became the beneficiary of the property after Ponomarenko sold it.
