Russian President Vladimir Putin has secretly built a lavish estate (complete with two $10,000 bidets, a “stolen” waterfall and possibly even his own air defense system) not far from the Finnish border.
The sprawling 1,000-acre complex is hidden deep in the forests of northern Karelia, just 20 miles from Finland, reported the Dossier Centre, a Russian research organization.
The lair, located on the shores of Lake Ladoga, also includes three modern-style houses, two helipads, yacht docks and a trout and meat farm, according to the outlet.
Footage shows it is defended by barbed wire fences, a 24/7 security detail and drone defense systems.
The resort is only accessible by boat or plane.
Relations between Russia and its Finnish neighbors have been strained since the Nordic country joined NATO in April, with the Kremlin threatening “countermeasures” and moving nuclear-capable missiles closer to the border in response.
The massive 10,000-acre estate is located in the forests of northern Karelia, near the border with Finland. The Dossier Center /YouTube Putin will likely retire to the estate to relax, according to the Dossier Center. The Dossier Center /YouTube
In November, Finland accused Russia of sending hundreds of African and Middle Eastern migrants across its border, forcing Finland to close its border crossings.
The three houses on the estate are known as The Barn, The Fisherman’s Hut and The Garden House, according to the report. The properties are reportedly decorated with extravagant bidets, shower heads costing up to $4,400 each and a $108,000 Italian Fior di Bosco marble floor.
Also located on this bucolic grounds is a brewery with some $380,000 worth of Austrian brewing equipment capable of producing 82 pints of beer a day.
The property includes a waterfall “stolen” from a national park where it is built, according to the Dossier Center report. The Dossier Center /YouTube The estate includes three large homes. The Dossier Center /YouTube
Local residents say Putin visits the estate only once a year, probably to let off steam.
“There is no doubt that the president is relaxing here,” a Dossier Center journalist said in a video report. “During their visits, local security is replaced by FSO. [Federal Guard Service] employees, the entrances are blocked and the neighboring islands are cordoned off.”
Drone footage obtained by the outlet also revealed a waterfall that was allegedly stolen from Skerries National Park, on which the property was built.
A raised embankment that could be used to place a ground-to-air defense system (a feature found on some of Putin’s other properties) appears near the rear of the main property, the video shows.
It is possible that an air defense system was installed on the estate, which was built on other Putin properties. AFP via Getty Images The property is owned by Putin associate Yury Kovulchuk. The Dossier Center /YouTube
According to the report, the estate was financed by companies linked to Putin’s Kremlin-linked oligarch friends. The owner of the property was listed as Yury Kovalchuk, president of Bank Rossiya, described by the US treasury as Putin’s “personal banker” and one of his “tellers.”
Kovalchuk, who allegedly oversees all of the Russian president’s real estate, has been sanctioned by the United States and the EU since 2014.
Kovalchuk owns a hotel in the area and a neighboring estate is owned by Roman Abramovich, the former owner of the United Kingdom’s Chelsea Football Club, who was forced to sell the team after the West sanctioned him for his ties to Putin.
Construction on the site began more than a decade ago and was first reported in 2016, according to the Dossier Centre.
Putin reportedly has very few assets to his name, despite amassing one of the world’s largest fortunes since becoming Russia’s prime minister in 1999. He has been president since 2012.
Bill Brody, an American financier who ran one of Russia’s largest investment firms from 1996 to 2005, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in July 2017 that Putin had “accumulated $200 billion in ill-gotten gains.”
Most of the Russian president’s fortune is hidden in offshore tax havens, invested in luxury properties inside and outside Russia and distributed among the accounts of his family and friends.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn