High-resolution photos are published on the Internet and especially on social networks, which capture Cape Idokopas, Putin's palace and the entire surrounding area, probably taken from an airplane. This is an extensive palace complex built in the Italian style. The construction cost is estimated at one billion dollars. The palace with its entire surrounding territory occupies 87 hectares. The building process was monitored by the Federal Security Service (FSO)
Putin Residence: Location
This large Italian palace complex is located on the Black Sea coast near the village of Praskovievka in Gelendzhik, in the Krasnodar Territory. The residence on Cape Idokopas (Gelendzhik) is often called in the media as “Putin's Palace”, “Putin's Residence”, “Putin's Cottage”, “Putin's Country Cottage”.
Allegation of corruption
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin and deputy head of the presidential administration, argued that the dacha was built for personal use by President Putin and that construction began when the president first took up his duties. The project, the construction of which was allegedly funded by the improper use of state resources, was actually carried out with the money of businessman Sergei Kolesnikov, who had connections with Putin even before he entered politics.
In December 2010, Kolesnikov wrote an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev with a detailed description of the participation of himself and others in the project. The letter also called on Medvedev to investigate and take action against corruption in Russia. High-quality photographs of the Residence on Cape Idokopas (Gelendzhik) and its vast territory were subsequently published on the Wikileaks website in January 2011. The images show luxurious interior decors. After publishing photos, the site was temporarily blocked.
Speakers on behalf of Putin and the Russian government have consistently rejected the involvement of the president and his property in corruption. In February 2011, Novaya Gazeta reported that it saw documents that confirmed Kolesnikov’s non-involvement. At the same time, Vladimir Kozhin, the Head of the Presidential Property Management Department, who denied participating in any such cases, was involved in the case. A spokeswoman declined to comment on articles published in Novaya Gazeta. The presence of the Federal Security Service (FSO) in this case was claimed as another evidence of state participation. In April 2011, Vladimir Kozhin admitted the Kremlin’s involvement in the project, saying his office dealt with Lirus (ROSINVEST, a Lirus subsidiary that directly finances the construction of the palace), to create a contract for the construction of the palace.
The fate of the residence
In March 2011, it was reported that Idokopas, which owns about 67 hectares of “recreational use” land in the area of Praskovyevka, including a “guest” complex with an area of 26, 000 square meters, were sold for $ 350 million to Alexander Ponomarenko. This is a businessman and a billionaire managing the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, who also has ties to Putin. Ponomarenko also said that he bought the second company, "Azure Berry", which owns 60 hectares of agricultural land near Divnomorsk, a village 13 km from Praskovievka. According to the Vedomosti newspaper, experts believe that the deal was made for a very dubious amount. 350 million dollars is too expensive, they said, when valuing real estate at 20 million dollars. Ponomarenko bought an unfinished complex from Nikolai Shamalov, another member of the circle of Putin and a businessman. Ponomarenko did not disclose his plans for the palace complex, but he also claimed that in the future its value would be determined at 350 million dollars. But most of all, this project touched the national treasure - Cape Idokopas. Putin's palace in this territory is a violation of all environmental requirements. Disputes about this do not subside in the press to this day.
