Putin living secretly in $120M palace with girlfriend, kids: Report
Russian President Vladimir Putin is rumored to be living with his alleged girlfriend, Alina Kabaeva, in a vast countryside estate that reportedly features numerous grand mansions and a playground for their kids. According to a report by the Russian investigative news outlet The Project, the property is located on Lake Valdai in the country's Valdaysky district, which is northwest of Moscow.
Why does this story matter?
Putin's mysterious palace first made the headlines in 2021 after it was featured in a viral video by now-jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, where he had claimed that it was full of luxuries gifted to the Russian president by his "wealthy friends." As per the news outlet BBC, Navalny's team had also alleged that budget funds were used to construct the property.
Know about Putin's $120 million estate
Putin purchased the property, rumored to be worth approximately $120 million (nearly Rs. 1,000 crore), with a slush fund in Cyprus. The construction of the 13,000 square feet mansion started in 2020 and was done within two years, as per The Project's report. The report also added that the mansion was entirely built out of wood, similar to a Russian dacha.
Gold chairs, golden chandelier: Leaked pics of Putin's secret mansion
While the bedroom of Putin reportedly looks more traditional, a few photographs of the property shared by The Project reportedly show gold chairs arranged neatly around a glass table under a spherical chandelier with golden leaves hanging off the ceiling. The Project also quoted unnamed officials as saying they have seen kids and a few female relatives of Kabaeva on the mansion's premises.
Pictures of Putin's Lake Valdai mansion
Pustin's secret life with his rumored girlfriend Kabaeva
The Russian investigative news outlet also claimed that Putin enjoys a secret life of absolute luxury at the estate with his children and Kabaeva. Kabaeva is a 39-year-old former gymnast and Olympic rhythmic champion who has long been in the spotlight for her alleged relationship with Putin. However, Kabaeva and Kremlin have repeatedly rejected that she is in a relationship with the Russian president.
About Kabaeva and Putin's reported relationship
While Putin is yet to accept his relationship with Kabaeva publicly, they have reportedly been dating since the early 2000s, even when the Russian president was still married to his former wife, Lyudmila Ocheretnaya. According to the news outlet Independent, Kabaeva, an Olympic gold medalist, is also believed to be the mother of at least three of Putin's kids.
Stay alert against spies, urges Russian President
Separately, on Tuesday, Putin instructed the Federal Security Service (FSB) to step up its activities to counter the rising sabotage and espionage operations against Russia by the West and Ukraine. He urged FSB to stop "sabotage groups" from entering Russia and thwart any attempts by Western security services to restore what he labeled as "terrorist or extremist" groups on Russian territory, Reuters reported.
Putin urges FSB to step up security
"Western intelligence services have traditionally always been actively working in Russia, and now they have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us," Putin told the FSB. He also urged the FSB to block the illegal flow of weapons flow in the country and to strengthen surveillance in four regions of Ukraine that Russia has partially seized.
