A secret palatial home belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been discovered in northern Russia, according to investigative outlet The Dossier Center.
The property is located in Marialakhti Bay in Karelia, a region in northwestern Russia bordering Finland, according to the outlet, which is funded by Putin’s rival and exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The Dossier Center posted a video on YouTube of what it claimed was drone footage of Putin’s secret getaway.
It said the complex has “three modern-style houses, two helicopter pads, several yacht piers, a trout farm, and a farm with cows for the production of marble beef, as well as a personal waterfall.”
The Center said the property is located on the shore of Lake Lagoda, part of a national park, and includes a picturesque waterfall.
It is shielded by fences which are monitored by electronic sensors and protected by special security units. It also has markings on the ground indicating it’s protected by air defense systems, said the Center.
The outlet did not say how it was able to get past the security to film the property with a drone.
The report cited locals saying Putin visits the property once a year after making a trip to the nearby Valaam Monastery.
Work on the property started around 10 years ago, and it’s one of a portfolio of Putin assets owned via companies managed by financier Yury Kovalchuk, the Center said.
Business Insider could not independently verify the Center’s claims and has contacted the Russian embassy in the UK for comment.
Putin’s wealth has long been the subject of speculation and rumor.
He has an official salary of $140,000 a year and a relatively modest official apartment. But a range of highly valuable assets, including superyachts and a vast palace by the Black Sea, have been linked to him through complex financial structures.
