The Illusive Riches of ‘Putin’s Palace’ Unearthed by Navalny
By Thea Reddington
Thousands of anti-Putin protesters have been arrested over the past two weeks as a result of the political unrest in Russia. The protests are a direct result of Putin critic Alexei Navalny’s two-hour long exposé entitled ‘Putin’s palace; history of the world’s largest bribe,’ in which he adamantly argues the infamous property belongs to Vladmir Putin. It has now been viewed an astounding 108 million times. Throughout the video, which is accompanied by tongue in cheek classical music, Navalny goes to great lengths to unearth every detail of what he calls the ‘New Versailles’, informing viewers that within the 190,000 square foot property resides a casino, an ice hockey rink and even a hookah bar with a retractable stripper pole.
Screenshot from ‘Putin’s Palace’ showing drone footage of the property.
Navalny and his team have tracked down specific items of furniture they believe to be housed within the palace by getting in contact with furniture designers and manufacturers linked to the palace. Ben Davis jokes in his report of the exposé that they have literally dug out the receipts. Navalny describes interior design features such as a leather sofa costing a staggering $28,000, and a sofa reserved for guests coming in at a meagre $18,000 in comparison. He goes into minute detail, even discussing toilet brushes he claims cost $850, the annual pension of the average Russian pensioner. This exorbitant luxury has captured the attention of angry protestors, many brandishing toilet brushes at protests to call out Russia’s extreme wealth gap. Whilst the focus on interior design may seem superfluous, highlighting the display of wealth enables the investigation to illuminate the eyewatering $1.3 billion cost of the palace which Navaly insists was paid for with illicit funds
A woman holding a toilet brush taking part in a protest in support of Navalny, image courtesy of Getty Images.
Screenshot from ‘Putin’s Palace’ illustrating a leather sofa.
Throughout the exposé Navalny makes an overarching commentary on Putin himself. He emphasises the importance of the gold double-headed eagle which adorns the top of the gates at the entrance to ‘Putin’s palace’ explaining that this insignia from the Russian coat of arms is a replica of the one that adorns the gates of the Winter Palace, the former home of the powerful Tsars. Navalny also addresses the architectural style of the palace designed by Italian architect Lanfranco Cirillo and goes as far as creating a digital reconstruction of one of the palace’s courtyards. The square is reminiscent of a Florentine Renaissance style home belonging to the likes of the dictatorial Medici family. It appears Navalny is accusing Putin of perceiving himself to be an emperor and is trying to demonstrate that the guise of democracy the Kremlin wants to uphold is cracking.
It should be acknowledged however that Putin fervently denies Navalny’s claims, insisting that the property belongs to billionaire Arkady Romanovich. There are also reports by Mash, a news channel based in Moscow, that the house is still under extensive construction and that the rooms Navalny describes in extraordinary detail are just empty shells.
Bibliography
Ben Davis, ‘‘Revelations about Putin’s Palace Helped Spark Widespread Protests in Russia. Here’s What’s Inside His Secret ‘New Versailles,’’ Art Net, January 26, 2021. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/putins-palace-luxury-1939501
Madeline Roache, ‘’The Inside Story of How Alexei Navalny Uncovered Putin’s $1.3 Billion Dollar Palace,’’ Time, January 29, 2021. https://time.com/5934092/navalny-putin-palace-investigation/
‘’Building dubbed ‘Putin’s Palace’ by Navalny is an empty shell, say Russian journalists in video from Black Sea building site,’’ RT Question More, January 29, 2021. https://www.rt.com/russia/514016-putin-palace-empty-shell/