Navalny’s team releases investigation into Putin’s 100-billion ruble ‘palace’ in Gelendzhik

Following the arrest of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has released a new investigation about a “palace” built for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Gelendzhik — a resort town on the Black Sea.

The most secretive and well-guarded facility in Russia, without exaggeration. This isn’t a country house, it’s not a cottage, it’s not a residence — it’s an entire city, or rather a kingdom. It has impregnable fences, its own port, its own security, a church, its own permit system, a no-fly zone, and even its own border checkpoint. It’s like a separate state inside of Russia. And in this state there is a single and irreplaceable tsar. Putin.

In the two-hour video (and an accompanying article), Navalny and his team recount the history of the residence and share images of the building’s floor plans and interiors. According to the FBK, 100 billion rubles ($1.35 billion) were spent on its construction.

We were told that this is impossible. That this is the biggest secret, the most well-guarded facility in Russia. But we tried hard and we succeeded. Today we will show you Putin’s biggest secret — his palace. We will show it from the outside and the inside. We will publish its architectural plans — from the furniture arrangements to the ventilation grilles. Every room, every corridor, every square meter is henceforth public domain. From now on, millions of Russian citizens will be able to visit Putin’s home.

Update. The FBK’s “A Palace for Putin” investigation hit one millions views in less than an hour, according to Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh.