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In August 2020, on the order of Vladimir Putin, Navalny was poisoned with “Novichok” chemical warfare agent
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He survived, came back to Russia and was arrested right at the airport.
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On August 18, 2021, the court unlawfully arrested Alexey Navalny and sent him to “Matrosskaya Tishina” prison
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For many years, navalny has been fighting for our rights. Now it’s our time to fight for him.
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January 23, 14:00. Central streets of your cities. Take to the streets. Don’t stand aside.
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Hi, it’s Navalny.
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We came up with this investigation when I was in intensive care, but we immediately agreed
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that we would release it when I returned home, to Russia, to Moscow,
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because we do not want the main character of this film to think
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that we are afraid of him and that I will tell about his worst secret while abroad.
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One of these viewers is the most devoted admirer of our work,
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on whose orders I was poisoned, is Vladimir Putin.
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He is definitely watching this now, and his heart is filling with nostalgia.
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This is not only an investigation, but also, in a sense, a psychological portrait.
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I really want to understand how an ordinary Soviet officer turned into a madman
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who is obsessed with money and luxury and literally ready
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to destroy the country and kill for the sake of his chests of gold.
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That’s why this is a very symbolic place to start our film.
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I am in Dresden, and this inconspicuous panel building is where first corruption schemes
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were drawn by those who would later arrange the biggest robbery in the history of Russia.
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They will simply steal all the national wealth.
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Their leader, 33-year-old Volodya Putin, the future richest man in the world, lived here.
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In those days, everything was simple and the level of his atrocities
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roughly corresponded to the level of this building.
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Vladimir Vladimirovich was occupied with how, using his official position,
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to get hold of a good imported radio tape recorder.
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But in principle, neither his methods nor his circle of proxies have changed.
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It’s just that before, they were interested in radio tape recorders, and now - in huge state enterprises.
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They sat at ceremonial events and read speeches.
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It’s just that in those days, they praised grandfather Lenin
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and swore allegiance to the ideals of communism,
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but now they cross themselves in churches and teach us spirituality and conservatism.
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Today we will see what is considered impossible to see up close.
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We will go where no one is allowed. We will pay Putin a visit and see with our own eyes
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that this man, in his craving for luxury and wealth, has gone completely mad.
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We will find out how and with whose money this luxury is financed.
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And how, over the past 15 years, the biggest bribe in history is being given
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and the most expensive palace in the world is being built.
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Palace for Putin
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Putin, a petty KGB officer who now masquerades as a great spy, came to Dresden in 1985.
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He wants us to think of him as a cool infiltrator.
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But in fact, he was an ordinary employee not even of a secret residency,
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but of the official representative office of the KGB in East Germany, a friend of the Soviet Union.
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Today's court propagandists love to romanticize that period of Putin's life,
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claiming that he infiltrated the enemy's lair.
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In fact, this building was a warm place, where a bunch of idlers like Putin
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sat at party meetings and awarded each other with mementos. Just like they do now.
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November 21, 1987. Suited-up Putin, believe it or not, at the brothers-in-arms ball.
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The event is dedicated to the friendship between the KGB and the Stasi,
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the great October revolution, and the inevitable victory of socialism throughout the world.
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On this day, Putin was presented with an award, a golden badge,
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as a symbol of friendship between Germany and the Soviet Union.
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Friendship with the Soviet Union became the need of the heart of every citizen of the GDR
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Now this “valuable” can be purchased on the Internet for 3 euros.
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Throughout the evening, Putin and his colleagues read long speeches, drank Soviet cognac,
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watched slides and trembled with pride and loyalty to the ideas of Marxism-Leninism.
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In less than two years, not a trace of all this will remain. The Berlin Wall will be destroyed.
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East Germany, along with the Stasi and KGB offices, will cease to exist.
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The system built on lies and repression collapsed,
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but left behind one very important legacy: its archives.
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Alas, despite his dreams and expectations, Putin failed to build a career or get rich in Dresden.
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But on the other hand, he met with the people who would later become his main wallets.
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I’ve now put on white gloves and am aided by David Schraven, head of Correctiv.
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Here is Putin's case file, let’s study it.
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We have already seen this photo. Vladimir Putin receives a golden badge.
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But not everyone noticed this gentleman.
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And this is none other than Sergei Viktorovich Chemezov,
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now the head of the Rostec corporation. He served alongside Putin.
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So, in this photo, we see two of the richest people in Russia.
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Well, Putin is probably the richest man in the world,
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and Chemezov is definitely one of the five richest people in our country.
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After 30 years, he is still around, but already as a billionaire civil servant.
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It's peculiar how carefully the Germans recorded everything. Typical Germans…
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Here is the program of the evening, and it is written that at 6 pm
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a special toast will be pronounced in honor of the representatives of the host country,
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and everyone will be given ein Glas sowjetischen Kognaks, a glass of Soviet cognac.
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Further on, they make all sorts of solemn speeches, praise Comrade Lenin, praise socialism,
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give each other souvenirs and, according to the program, no later than 19:45,
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Vladimir Vladimirovich begins to dance, because at 19:45 the dances start.
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We have two booklets with photographs - this one has been shown repeatedly on TV,
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you’ve seen it many times - this is a Stasi ID with the name Vladimir Putin on it.
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There is a similar ID with a picture of a very nice person on it.
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This is Nikolai Petrovich Tokarev. The man at the head of Transneft.
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He, unlike Chemezov, never confirmed his work in the KGB, and in his official biography,
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there is a 20-year gap and work in the “mining industry”. Well, we have filled this gap.
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The numbers of these IDs differ by one digit.
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Here’s another document, a Stasi phone book. It has a section "Comrades/Friends".
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Let’s study it. Look, Major Tokarev and Major Chemezov have the same phone numbers.
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That is, they literally sat in the same office, and their desks were obviously next to each other.
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It was here, in Dresden, that Putin defined his main life principles,
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which would later become the basis of the Russian state.
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1. Always say one thing and do another.
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Lying and hypocrisy are the most effective methods of work.
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2. Corruption is the foundation of trust.
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Your main friends are those who have been stealing and cheating with you for many years.
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3. And the most important thing: There is never too much money.
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St. Petersburg
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Early 90s, Leningrad.
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Think for yourselves how tough a spy Putin was in Dresden,
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if, upon returning to Leningrad from the assignment,
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he was sent to an unpromising job at Leningrad University.
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His old university friend, Nikolai Egorov, also worked there.
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This is one of the little-known, but key and most trusted people of Putin.
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In the 70s, Egorov and Putin sat at the same desk and were friends.
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Along with him, two other Putin’s classmates and closest friends of that time,
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Ilgam Ragimov and Viktor Khmarin, were not deprived of his attention either.
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Back then, they were united by their passion for martial arts. Let's remember them.
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In 1991, the same Yegorov did Putin a favour that changed the life of the future president forever.
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He recommended Putin to work in the mayor's office of St. Petersburg
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in the committee for external relations.
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It is terribly entertaining to recall these pages of Putin's biography now.
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After all, he loves to remember how he experienced the collapse of the USSR.
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The collapse of the Soviet Union was the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century
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He condemns the 90s, Yeltsinism, democrats and calls everyone around him foreign agents.
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I won’t tell you the people that were in charge in the 90s a gang,
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but i will note that since then, our social sector and defense industry have completely collapsed.
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We’ve lost the defense industry. We’ve practically destroyed the military,
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led the country to a civil war, to the bloodbath in Caucasus.
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And in those days, Putin took off like greased lightning
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to work for one of the main democrats of those times,
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the radical critic of the USSR, Anatoly Sobchak.
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And so it happened. A man who has dreamed of money all his life has finally got a grasp on this money.
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He found himself in a position where there is something to steal. Where bribes are given.
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And here, our Vladimir Vladimirovich really showed himself.
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The most famous and well researched topic are the export licenses.
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Putin was engaged in issuing such licenses to companies that were allowed to sell oil products,
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timber, aluminum, copper, cotton (any raw materials) abroad, in exchange for food.
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Literally: oil in exchange for sugar and potatoes. Timber in exchange for baby food.
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Anatoly Alexandrovich has just told me that 2500 tons of sugar
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have just been purchased in Ukraine and prepared for shipment to St. Petersburg.
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- So, are we coming through now?
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Well, let’s not cross the bridge till we come to it
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Putin personally distributed licenses. And as it turned out later,
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he gave them to shell companies, including those associated with himself and his friends.
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The scheme was elementary. The raw materials went abroad,
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the bogus companies received money for it, and the products never arrived.
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This is our Motherland, the most valuable thing we have.
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One of the main places of income for Putin was the seaport.
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This place is legendary, it’s one of the symbols of the bandit Petersburg.
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In the early 90s, this strategic facility turned into a criminalized territory,
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where people got shot, killed, and were constantly dividing something.
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The port was controlled by one of the most famous crime bosses of that time -
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Ilya Traber, nicknamed Antiquarian.
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Bandits be bandits, but all sorts of papers and permits still needed to be signed and executed.
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This is what Putin the official was doing. Formally, he represented the interests of the state,
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but in fact, he was helping the bandits working in the port.
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He served their interests and was a helpful assistant in the mayor's office
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who could help real tough guys solve their problems.
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Here’s an example. The oil terminal in the port.
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Traber was the chairman of the board of directors, another share was controlled
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by the head of the Tambov gang, Gennady Petrov.
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And Putin, as said by none other than the head of Gazprom Neft, Alexander Dyukov,
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who was then the general director of the terminal,
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provided the project with "serious help and support."
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It is very easy to see who else Putin provided serious support -
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oil products were supplied abroad through the terminal by Gennady Timchenko,
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the future billionaire, the main trader of Russian oil and one of the most famous “Putin’s friends”.
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Their surnames are kind of strange. Timchen-ko. Typical Russkies.
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I think I should keep my distance from them
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It was then that the story of his super-profitable business, oil trading company Gunvor, began.
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When Putin became president, 4 out of 5 of our country's major oil companies
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did not sell their oil abroad directly, but through the Swiss intermediary Gunvor.
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Thus, Timchenko, without doing anything, earned incredible money.
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Throughout the entire existence of Gunvor, it was believed that Putin had a secret share there,
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even the US Treasury officially claimed that Putin had access to Gunvor's money.
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But it was not clear to whom this share was registered for many years.
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And then it was found out. All this time there was a secret shareholder in Gunvor, Pyotr Kolbin.
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No one understood where this amazing shareholder came from
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and how a person who says himself that he is not engaged in business
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could have millions of dollars to invest in Gunvor.
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Until 2016, when journalists discovered that Pyotr Kolbin was Putin's childhood crony,
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they grew up in the same village, went to discos together, and had a friendship as families.
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And it became obvious that Kolbin was the holder of Putin's share all this time.
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You’re probably thinking now: “Wait, does mean that Putin was directly paid bribes? In envelopes?”
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Yes! One of the participants of the Petersburg crime scene in the 90s, Maxim Freidzon,
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told in an interview how the scheme of interaction with the mayor's office worked.
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If it was necessary to formalize something,
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they needed to come to the Foreign Relations Committee,
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listen to a ceremonial speech about the importance of economic partnership,
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and then Putin simply wrote on a piece of paper the required amount of kickback
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(a small one 10 or 20 thousand dollars) and added that the money
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needed to be “registered” with (that is, brought to) his assistant, Alex Miller.
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Now Alex Miller needs no introduction, for almost 20 years
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he has been heading our “national treasure” Gazprom.
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He is clearly better at registering bribes than running a state-owned company.
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In 2008, Miller boasted that in 7-8 years Gazprom would become
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the most valuable company in the world with a capitalization of a trillion dollars.
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At that moment Gazprom was worth 360 billion.
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12 years have passed, and the capitalization of Gazprom is about 70 billion.
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That is, it did not grow, but decreased by 5 times.
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A perfect example of how Putin's team worked.
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I’m not ashamed of my friends
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And now, the most important thing.
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The story of Putin the official cannot be told without the story of Rossiya Bank.
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Putin as we know him wouldn’t exist without it.
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This bank was created by the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU.
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But in 1991, when both the CPSU and the regional committees ceased to exist,
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the mayor of St. Petersburg Sobchak ordered to reorganize this bank.
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To put the assets in order, and create a normal commercial structure on their basis
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that would help the economy of poverty-stricken St. Petersburg.
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And he instructed this to Putin. Putin succeeded.
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But most shareholders of the new bank were his, Putin's, friends.
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First of all, of course, Yuri Kovalchuk.
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He became (and still is) the main shareholder and manager.
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In the early 90s, Rossiya was just a small bank controlled by the mayor's office,
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and now it is a giant banking monster that serves the country's main corrupt officials
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and keeps Putin's personal money.
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I ordered the Property Management Department to transfer my salary there.
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Everything that was illegally acquired, donated to and stolen by Putin's gang is safe here.
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The bank has an imposing and symbolic name - Rossiya.
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Despite the fact that 3 decades have passed since Putin worked the St. Petersburg City Hall,
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many of you were not even born then, you know very well all the participants in those legendary events.
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Look at the honor roll of just one committee that was led by Putin.
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It shows the whole team of bribe-takers, who once divided the money from the envelopes that Alex Miller took.
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Medvedev became prime minister and president, Miller was put in charge of Gazprom,
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Zubkov also was prime minister and is now at Gazprom.
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Sechin started as the secretary and porter of Putin’s briefcase,
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then he was a minister of Putin’s government, and now he’s the head of Rosneft.
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It’s like an unofficial Forbes list.
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And here’s Churov. He was assigned to falsify elections
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so that unwanted candidates would not be elected and would not interfere with stealing.
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Marina Entaltseva became the head of Putin's protocol.
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In the neighboring offices sat German Gref, now the head of Sberbank,
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Kudrin, Head of the Accounts Chamber,
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Kozak, former minister who is now in the presidential administration, and many others.
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For more than 30 years they have been officials and in power,
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and they like to tell us how they are against the damned 90s.
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They are the personification of all the worst that happened in the 90s.
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Moscow
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All these are old, well-known stories described by journalists.
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Not even many years later, but right during Putin's service in the Sobchak mayor's office,
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there were scandals, parliamentary investigations and reports on corruption around him.
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The newspapers wrote about Putin's machinations.
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To be frank, Putin should have been put in jail already back then, in 1996,
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when he and Sobchak lost power after losing the elections.
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By the way, Putin was then actively working in Sobchak's election headquarters,
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and from that moment he realized that fair elections are a terrible thing,
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because they can be lost.
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But then two guardian angels appeared who saved our Vladimir Vladimirovich.
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Those of you who are younger may ask people who remember the 90s well -
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who were then the embodiments of corruption? I guarantee you that two names will be said:
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Pavel Pavlovich Borodin, Yeltsin's property manager.
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All the newspapers of those times wrote about kickbacks at his construction sites.
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In the USA and Switzerland, where they operate trillions of dollars,
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there must be at least the same amount of thieves, probably much more.
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But nobody writes about them.
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And Anatoly Borisovich Chubais, he needs no introduction.
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It is these two wonderful people that we must thank for the fact
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that Putin has settled in the Kremlin since 1996.
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First, in the Presidential Property Management Department, under Borodin.
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As you know, the Presidential Property Management Department
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deals with the logistical and financial services of all central authorities.
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I will be in charge of contractual and legal activities, since I am a lawyer by training.
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And then, I quote, Anatoly Chubais offered a “strong candidate with whom he worked in St. Petersburg”
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for a job in the presidential administration.
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So Putin became the head of the control department of the Yeltsin administration.
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What an irony, the main corrupt officials of those times
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pondered who should be appointed to the position of the inspector in the administration.
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Who will check, but diligently ignore corruption? And they chose Putin.
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This is my profession, and I find it interesting.
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Putin was given a state dacha in Arkhangelskoye, an official car,
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but actually very little is known about his lifestyle.
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We found a good witness of those times though, a direct participant in all those events.
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It’s the ex-wife of Putin - Lyudmila.
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In the mid-90s, Lyudmila Putina, during her trip to Hamburg, met a German woman, Irene,
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and the two became penfriends.
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For several years they sent each other handwritten letters
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in which Lyudmila told in detail about her life.
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Here are these letters. From 1996, 1997, 1998 - then they stopped communicating.
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Lyudmila’s former friend even wrote a book about this called "Spicy Friendship".
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It was published in Russian in 2002, but unfortunately it quickly disappeared from the shelves.
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It contains excellent photographs of Putin's already very recognizable daughters,
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or “these women,” as he himself calls them.
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You mentioned one woman, then another one…
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We have carefully studied every word - both in the book and in the letters themselves.
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They mostly contain completely uninteresting stories about personal things -
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about the weather, children and horoscopes.
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But there is still something important there. Firstly, where these letters were sent from.
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At the top of the page, you can see a phone number.
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Lyudmila Putina sent them either from home or from the “office” as she herself writes -
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and this office was the St. Petersburg seaport, the very one that,
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thanks to the help of Putin the official, became the property of the crime boss Ilya Traber.
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What was the official's wife doing there?
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Or, here, an office called “Interkommerz Warnig”.
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This is Matthias Warnig, a banker and a former Stasi employee who worked with Putin back in Germany,
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and then moved to St. Petersburg to head the Dresdner Bank.
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Lyudmila’s German friend was very surprised at how close Putin and Warnig were.
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Warnig paid for the treatment of Lyudmila Putin abroad, took upon himself
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the costs and organization of the Putin family vacations - hotels were booked in his name.
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This is called a bribe in specie: Putin works in the presidential administration,
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and a German banker and former intelligence officer pays for his family's expenses.
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It seems to me that this is exactly what should be called by Putin's favorite term “foreign agent”.
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It wasn’t us who came up with the term “foreign agent”.
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Such a law has existed in the USA since the 30s.
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I think it was adopted in 1938 or 1939, and it works perfectly
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Warnig's expenses on the Putin family were more than reimbursed.
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Today this person is the managing director of Nord Stream,
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as well as a member of the boards of directors of Rosneft, Transneft, Bank of Russia, RUSAL,
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a member of the supervisory board of VTB and the administrative council of Swiss Gazprom.
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In addition to the vacations, to which we will return,
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the absolute obsession of the Putin family with real estate is immediately evident.
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By that time, they had already received one service apartment in St. Petersburg.
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But with the move to Moscow, all that worried the Putins
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was whether they would get a new apartment from the city and have the old one taken away.
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Lyudmila says with annoyance that their friends Chemezovs
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have already received a two-story apartment and thoroughly describes every square meter of it.
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By the way, there was a very similar story with Sechin,
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but we learned it not from letters, but from a recent book about Putin.
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In it, a common acquaintance of Putin and Sechin
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tells how they were resettled in service apartments after moving to Moscow.
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When Vladimir Vladimirovich came to visit Igor Ivanovich,
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he asked how large his apartment was. Sechin's apartment was 317 m2, Putin's was 286 m2.
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Sechin told his friend that Putin only said “congratulations”,
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but the feeling was as if he wanted to shoot him with a well-aimed shot in the head.
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For several weeks after that, they did not talk.
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From Lyudmila's letters, we learn a lot about Putin's life already at the end of those wild 90s.
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Who they communicated with, where they went.
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Lyudmila describes in detail each vacation - in 1996 they spend 6 weeks in Davos,
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together with the Shamalov family, with whom they will become related in 15 years.
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Several times a year the family of the official travels to France -
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in the summer to have a rest on the sea, and in the winter to ski.
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And here is my favorite piece. Lyudmila Putina exposes a typical Putin lie.
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She describes how in the summer of 1998 we went on vacation to Cannes for 6 weeks.
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But on July 22, Putin had to abruptly interrupt his vacation and return to Moscow -
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he was appointed director of the FSB.
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We chose Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for a reason.
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He’s a professional with experience in the entire range of tasks the FSB faces
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This episode is also described in the only official biography of Putin.
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Only according to their version, the vacation was not in Cannes, but on the Baltic Sea.
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And there wasn’t the entire Putin family there, but only Lyudmila.
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We get surprised at the current degradation of special services and rampant corruption.
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But why should we be surprised if, already in 98, an official
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whose family has been living for a month and a half in a hotel on the French Riviera
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was appointed head of the main special service?
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With what money? It’s clear that this money was dirty.
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It’s clear that thieves like him made him the director of the FSB
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so that he could solve their problems.
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Look at these shots, tanned Putin, having flown in from France,
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sits next to Kiriienko on the day of his appointment, rejoicing at his "return to his home."
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For me, returning to work at the security apparatus is like returning to my home
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After becoming the head of the FSB, Putin did exactly what he was supposed to do:
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helped corrupt officials evade responsibility.
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The then general prosecutor Skuratov was gunning for the Yeltsin family,
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accusing them of theft and bribes. To neutralize Skuratov, the FSB organized a whole operation,
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the result of which was the showing on federal television
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of the famous tape with a “man similar to the Prosecutor General”.
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You will now see a man very similar to the Prosecutor General of Russian Federation
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in the company of some call girls.
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We must warn you: this shouldn’t be watched by people under 18
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After the publication, Putin also spoke personally
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and said that this was not “a person who looked like Skuratov”,
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but Skuratov himself, and he must resign.
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My views are well known. They are the same as those of the President
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and the Prime Minister. Skuratov must resign.
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Which is what happened. Skuratov was removed from office.
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The corrupt Yeltsin family was saved. And literally four months later,
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realizing that they could not find a more reliable and appropriate person in spirit,
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it was Yeltsin's family, “Tanya and Valya”, who made Putin the successor:
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first the Prime Minister, and then the President of Russia.
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[25:55] The Palace
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As soon as Putin established himself in power -
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that is, after he subjugated television and the courts
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and established a system of electoral fraud -
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the largest operation to seize and milk Russia began (and continues to this day).
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Every Putin’s friend gets a piece. One sits on the streams of Gazprom,
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the second begins to milk Rosneft, the third takes over the largest construction projects.
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A gang of bribe-takers and crooks from the St. Petersburg mayor's office
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seized all key posts and declared themselves brilliant managers and saviors of Russia.
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But despite the fact that our heroes got suited up
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and surrounded themselves with hundreds of guards,
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the key principle on which everything has been held
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since the wild 90s in St. Petersburg stayed the same.
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You want to steal from the budget and milk state property? Share with Putin.
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Alright, I agree, it’s a deal
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And if before Putin wrote relatively small amounts in dollars on a piece of paper,
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and Alex Miller collected them for him, then this time they wrote a word on the piece of paper.
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And that word was “palace”.
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It’s the world’s largest construction project
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The most secret and guarded facility in Russia, without exaggeration.
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This is not a country house, not a dacha, not a residence -
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this is a whole city, or rather a kingdom.
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It has impregnable fences, its own port, its own guards, a church,
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its own access control, a no-fly zone and even its own border checkpoint.
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It is an actual separate state within Russia.
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And in this state, there is a single and irreplaceable king: Putin.
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Wait, you’ll say, we heard about this palace, we know that it was once built for Putin,
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but then, when the whole story was revealed, the construction was frozen,
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and some businessman bought the palace, right? You are telling us some old story.
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You are wrong. This story is unknown to anyone.
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Firstly, you cannot imagine the true size of this palace. Secondly, there was no sale.
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This is a legal illusion created through several bogus deals and an active media campaign.
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The only real owner of this famous place from the very beginning to the present day
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is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
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And finally, looking inside, you will understand that the president of Russia is mentally ill.
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He is obsessed with wealth and luxury.
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Can you imagine the Principality of Monaco? It is small, but still a separate country.
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Well, this is a property the size of 39 principalities of Monaco.
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It was built so that it would not be possible to get to it by land, sea or air.
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Thousands of people working there are forbidden to bring even a simple mobile phone with a camera.
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Arriving cars are inspected at several checkpoints, with the help of mirrors
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and pits with video cameras, trunks and glove compartments get searched.
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But we'll come in anyway.
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What is this, have you gone mad?
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For many years we have shown you the property of corrupt officials from the air, from the outside.
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But today, we’ll show you the palace of the MOST corrupt official from the inside.
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In addition to a tour of the royal chambers, I am sure you are looking forward to it,
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you will find out that the real Putin's palace is not just this house,
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but another 7800 hectares of land, almost 300 hectares of vineyards in four different places,
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a chateau, wineries, oyster farms and endless luxury.
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I will tell you where this palace came from, whose money it was built on
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and whose money it continues to be constructed on right now.
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Let’s go.
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Hello everyone, this is Georgy Alburov.
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As you may have noticed, we are in a slightly unusual environment for us.
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You see, we are in Krasnodar Krai, on the Black Sea coast,
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literally 3 kilometers from the famous Putin's Palace. We came here in a very strange way.
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We changed tickets, got off at the wrong stops, exchanged SIM cards and phones.
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We carried out a whole special operation to get here.
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All this was done so that we don’t get pursued by the police, FSB officers
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and employees of the “E” center, who always do this when we come to Krasnodar Krai.
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And we managed to do it. Right now, we are a few hundred meters from the shore,
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and not a single policeman tens of kilometers around knows what we are doing here.
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This is great because right now we are going to launch a drone
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and take for you the legendary footage of Putin's palace,
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which has never been seen from a drone.
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It is so classified that it is guarded by the Federal Security Service.
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Everyone said that it was impossible to film it.
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Yes, we thought so ourselves, and then we went ahead and tried it.
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It didn't work, so we tried it again. We tried four times, but only succeeded once.
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We present to you the most secret palace in Russia - Putin's palace near Gelendzhik.
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Here it is, right in front of you. This is the largest private residential building in Russia,
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its officially confirmed area according to documents is 17,691 m2.
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And there is not even much to compare it with.
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The most luxurious houses on Rublyovka are several times smaller.
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This is the new Versailles, or the new Winter Palace - a truly royal place.
436
00:31:18,340 --> 00:31:24,960
For now, we only admire it from the outside. Let's get close enough to see everything in detail.
437
00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:29,300
Huh, what's going on here? Some kind of blue tarp, the windows are caulked,
438
00:31:29,300 --> 00:31:32,340
the pool is closed, building materials are lying on the ground,
439
00:31:32,340 --> 00:31:35,160
workers, barely noticeable against the background of the palace, scurry about.
440
00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:37,740
What is happening, why is there a construction site
441
00:31:37,740 --> 00:31:43,180
if 6-year-old satellite images showed that the palace was completely ready?
442
00:31:43,180 --> 00:31:47,280
The builders explained it to us. Everything was really ready a long time ago,
443
00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:52,440
but then a disaster struck. Its name is mold. And sloppiness.
444
00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,940
The palace was designed with mistakes - ventilation did not work, the ceiling leaked,
445
00:31:56,940 --> 00:32:01,820
high humidity - in general, they decided to redo everything. Absolutely everything.
446
00:32:01,820 --> 00:32:05,720
They stripped the walls, stripped off the marble, took out everything of value,
447
00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:09,920
literally threw billions into the trash and started all over.
448
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:15,320
But what’s a waste and a headache for Putin is a chance for us to learn more about his palace.
449
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,220
After all, a lot of people were involved in the reconstruction,
450
00:32:18,220 --> 00:32:23,200
and they were happy to tell us about literally every square meter of this grandiose object.
451
00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:27,600
For example, the arboretum. Rare and unique trees are gathered there.
452
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:30,680
And for those plants that are uncomfortable in such a climate
453
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:36,460
a 2500 m2 greenhouse was built in the open air.
454
00:32:36,460 --> 00:32:39,740
These trees and plants in general on the territory
455
00:32:39,740 --> 00:32:44,340
are constantly monitored by a total of about forty gardeners.
456
00:32:44,340 --> 00:32:48,740
We fly further and see a wall of greenery, and inside it there are sculptures.
457
00:32:48,740 --> 00:32:51,140
It's a pity you can't see who they are of.
458
00:32:51,140 --> 00:32:55,640
Maybe a monument to the patron saint Yeltsin, maybe Lesha Miller with an envelope,
459
00:32:55,640 --> 00:33:01,140
maybe a bust of the goddess of theft or a sculptural composition “These women”.
460
00:33:01,140 --> 00:33:03,440
Next is another important object - a church.
461
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:07,580
It’s not the temple of the Ministry of Defense, of course, and in general it does not look very Orthodox.
462
00:33:07,580 --> 00:33:11,120
A bunch of some kind of construction trailers, obviously workers live there.
463
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:15,400
We see a giant 80-meter bridge. In any Russian region,
464
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:20,740
its opening would be a whole event, but here it is simply needed to get to the teahouse.
465
00:33:20,740 --> 00:33:26,240
On the right we see 2 helipads. Strange, there were three of them before.
466
00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:29,360
One was removed and a mound was made in its place.
467
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:33,040
It’s a very strange mound though, it has several entrances.
468
00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:35,500
For a long time we tried to understand what was inside
469
00:33:35,500 --> 00:33:40,180
and at some point we saw the insides of this mountain on satellite images.
470
00:33:40,180 --> 00:33:47,340
Rectangle with rounded corners measuring 56 by 26 meters. It's a hockey rink!
471
00:33:47,340 --> 00:33:51,560
Indeed, who needs a palace in which you cannot play hockey?
472
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:55,520
This is the first time we see the underground hockey complex though.
473
00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,920
The owner's bunkering style is recognized - he likes to sit underground.
474
00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:04,440
He probably imagines himself a gnome from the Lord of the Rings movie, guarding his gold.
475
00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:08,900
The contractors confirmed to us that they indeed buried an ice palace underground,
476
00:34:08,900 --> 00:34:11,920
which is actually the height of a five-story building.
477
00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:17,440
A little shocked, we fly further to that part of the palace, which is responsible for its sustainment.
478
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:20,540
We see a 200 m2 building with a tower and air conditioning.
479
00:34:20,540 --> 00:34:24,680
It was not labelled in the documents, but an oil product pipeline was laid to it,
480
00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:29,500
and heat supply networks go from it. So, this must be the boiler room.
481
00:34:29,500 --> 00:34:32,380
The huge mast further away is responsible for communications.
482
00:34:32,380 --> 00:34:37,540
There are both base stations of cellular operators and government communications antennas there.
483
00:34:37,540 --> 00:34:43,700
In the distance is an own gas station. We see several residential buildings and a garage complex.
484
00:34:43,700 --> 00:34:48,320
On the right is a dormitory for personnel, where personnel of not the highest categories live -
485
00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,600
security guards and construction workers.
486
00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:54,440
And next to it is the brain of the whole complex - the headquarters building.
487
00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,740
The main managers work in this building.
488
00:34:57,740 --> 00:35:03,600
Let's turn around a bit and just admire the view that opens from here. Very nice.
489
00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:07,680
Previously, this could only be seen by Putin from a helicopter, but now you can see it too.
490
00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:11,560
Let's fly to the back of the palace to look at a couple more objects.
491
00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:16,000
Here is a grandiose fence, through which no outside thief can get through.
492
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,680
On the right is the very building for which the 80-meter bridge was built.
493
00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:26,020
This is a guest house aka Tea House with an area of 2,500 m2.
494
00:35:26,020 --> 00:35:29,080
And here is the long-suffering amphitheater.
495
00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:34,200
This simple object is being built and rebuilt continuously over the years.
496
00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:37,820
The owner of the palace is clearly dissatisfied with the result.
497
00:35:37,820 --> 00:35:43,400
Maybe it should be more suitable for gladiatorial battles between Sechin and Chemezov.
498
00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:48,280
Maybe cellist Roldugin criticizes its acoustics. We can only guess.
499
00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:52,020
But the workers are constantly swarming there. Let's fly off again.
500
00:35:52,020 --> 00:35:54,320
So, how do you get to the beach?
501
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:58,160
You put on his swimming trunks, take your flippers, but how do you get down? It’s a mountain.
502
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:00,300
Here is the entrance to a special tunnel,
503
00:36:00,300 --> 00:36:03,900
which was built by the same people who are building the metro.
504
00:36:03,900 --> 00:36:08,320
This is a unique structure that allows not only convenient access to the sea,
505
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:12,880
but also shelter in case of war or attack from the residents of Gelendzhik.
506
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:18,680
And this tunnel has a small secret that one of the builders of the palace revealed to us.
507
00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:24,160
Do you see some kind of a door here? Look at this photo - you can see it a little better.
508
00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:26,260
And this is the place on the tunnel scheme.
509
00:36:26,260 --> 00:36:32,000
This, my friends, is the tasting room disguised like a part of the mountain.
510
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:37,980
In fact, it is a huge window that offers the best possible sea view.
511
00:36:37,980 --> 00:36:43,140
Here you can enjoy a glass of wine, and, what’s most important for our national leader,
512
00:36:43,140 --> 00:36:46,440
it’s not some kind of balcony where you are constantly in danger,
513
00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:51,580
but a very safe underground place where nothing threatens you.
514
00:36:51,580 --> 00:36:55,580
And now for something that’s impossible to show with a drone - the scale.
515
00:36:55,580 --> 00:37:01,800
We flew here, this is the huge palace complex, the land plot around it is 68 hectares.
516
00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:05,540
But in fact, the territory of the palace is about 100 times larger.
517
00:37:05,540 --> 00:37:09,320
This land plot - forests and mountains, with an area of 7,000 hectares,
518
00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,760
70 million (!!!) square meters, belongs to the FSB.
519
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:20,100
And in September 2020, it was fully leased until 2068 to the company that owns the palace.
520
00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:25,620
Do you know why? To carry out research and educational activities.
521
00:37:25,620 --> 00:37:30,220
In fact, the only purpose of renting this really gigantic piece of land,
522
00:37:30,220 --> 00:37:33,840
which is 3.5 times larger than neighboring Gelendzhik,
523
00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:37,480
is to create something like a buffer around Putin's palace.
524
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,720
So that no one can, while accidentally walking through beautiful places,
525
00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:45,600
come too close to the fence of the secret object. And not only on the ground.
526
00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:50,280
Usually, in order to go to sea on any boat - be it an inflatable boat or even on a yacht,
527
00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:54,560
you need to follow a simple procedure - call the local border department of the FSB
528
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,960
and notify it about your plans by phone.
529
00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:01,980
A pure formality - you can fish and swim pretty much anywhere. But not here.
530
00:38:01,980 --> 00:38:03,400
- Good day, yes
531
00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:04,860
- Happy New Year!
532
00:38:04,860 --> 00:38:06,140
- Happy New Year to you
533
00:38:08,220 --> 00:38:13,020
- Do you want to go past Krinitsa or just go fishing here in the Praskoveevka area?
534
00:38:13,020 --> 00:38:18,380
- Well, we want to go from Dzhankhot to Krinitsa, around that area
535
00:38:20,380 --> 00:38:24,980
- Well then, there will be a big request to you. Do you know Cape Idokopas?
536
00:38:24,980 --> 00:38:28,100
- Sort of, is it after the Parus rock?
537
00:38:28,100 --> 00:38:33,940
- Yes, there will be a a large cape after Parus Rock, you will have to go around it by a mile
538
00:38:33,940 --> 00:38:35,420
- By a mile?
539
00:38:35,420 --> 00:38:37,620
- Yes
540
00:38:37,620 --> 00:38:41,700
- Got it, was there an accident there?
541
00:38:41,700 --> 00:38:47,020
- No, well, it's just our request to you that you go around this particular section by a mile…
542
00:38:47,020 --> 00:38:51,640
Please keep this distance when you go there
543
00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:58,040
- And tell me, please, is it always like this with Idokopas or just on some days?
544
00:38:58,040 --> 00:38:59,140
- Always
545
00:38:59,140 --> 00:39:05,900
- Got you. Do we need to get a permission from other departments then? From the FSO?
546
00:39:05,900 --> 00:39:06,960
- Yes of course.
547
00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:11,020
- Should we do it in writing somehow or by phone through the person on duty?
548
00:39:11,020 --> 00:39:18,020
- Don’t ask me this, we don’t issue such permissions at all.
549
00:39:18,020 --> 00:39:20,940
So, because of Putin's dacha, all fishermen
550
00:39:20,940 --> 00:39:24,900
are simply sent around it to the open sea 2 kilometers from the coast.
551
00:39:24,900 --> 00:39:31,640
And all this is so that no one accidentally sees up close what is built there on this Idokopas cape.
552
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:34,220
And you can't get close to the dacha from the air either.
553
00:39:34,220 --> 00:39:37,880
Above it is the official no-fly zone URP116.
554
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:42,220
Just like over nuclear power plants or secret military facilities.
555
00:39:42,220 --> 00:39:44,860
The order of the Ministry of Transport includes the address
556
00:39:44,860 --> 00:39:46,760
and telephone number of those responsible for this zone.
557
00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:52,040
Let’s google the address: It’s either the SHUSTRIK online store responsible for the no-fly zone
558
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:55,540
above Putin's palace, or the Border Directorate of the FSB for Krasnodar Krai.
559
00:39:55,540 --> 00:40:00,280
Why would the FSB establish a no-fly zone over a private palace?
560
00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:04,180
There can be only one answer - this is the palace of the very person
561
00:40:04,180 --> 00:40:07,040
for whose safety the FSB is responsible.
562
00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:13,820
It’s very important for me. I already said that I can’t work without it.
563
00:40:13,820 --> 00:40:17,560
How could this have been built in secret from the whole country? -
564
00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:19,800
any normal person is shouting now.
565
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:23,140
Underground hockey stadiums, tunnels inside the mountain.
566
00:40:23,140 --> 00:40:26,480
This is colossal work and no less colossal money.
567
00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:29,940
Someone must have paid it, right? Quite right.
568
00:40:29,940 --> 00:40:32,740
We have found out everything and will tell you now.
569
00:40:32,740 --> 00:40:37,420
We go back to the past again, just about to the point where we stopped.
570
00:40:37,420 --> 00:40:41,240
The year 2005. Putin just started his second term.
571
00:40:41,240 --> 00:40:44,420
Where the palace now stands is an open field, or rather a mountain.
572
00:40:44,420 --> 00:40:47,140
The head of the presidential administration and Putin's friend
573
00:40:47,140 --> 00:40:51,340
from the time of the St. Petersburg mayor's office, Vladimir Kozhin, signs an investment agreement
574
00:40:51,340 --> 00:40:56,780
for the construction of a "Children's sports and recreation camp for year-round action" here.
575
00:40:56,780 --> 00:40:59,660
According to the agreement, the construction will be carried out together
576
00:40:59,660 --> 00:41:02,520
by the presidential administration and the investor, “Lirus” company.
577
00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:08,540
Naturally, they were not going to build any camp. I keep repeating that Putin is always lying.
578
00:41:08,540 --> 00:41:13,560
And in 2005, under the guise of a camp, they were going to build a dacha straight away.
579
00:41:13,560 --> 00:41:17,000
We say one thing and do another.
580
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,700
There were three shareholders in “Lirus”. Nikolai Shamalov, the same family friend
581
00:41:21,700 --> 00:41:26,440
(and in the future an affiancer) with whom the Putins spent 6 weeks in Davos in 1996.
582
00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:32,160
And two more - retired KGB colonel Dmitry Gorelov and businessman Sergei Kolesnikov.
583
00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:35,840
Why did these people suddenly decide to build a children's camp near Gelendzhik?
584
00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:38,040
One of them told everyone about it.
585
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:50,240
Around 2005 or 2006, an idea arose: Why not build a small house at the Black Sea coast?
586
00:41:50,240 --> 00:42:01,560
The presidential term isn’t infinite, it will end soon, he’ll need to step down,
587
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:04,420
and he wanted to have something left after retirement.
588
00:42:04,420 --> 00:42:12,120
Everything was discussed with Shamalov and Kozhin, head of the Department for Presidential Affairs.
589
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:19,980
Kozhin showed him the land plot, the agreement on its allocation.
590
00:42:19,980 --> 00:42:28,960
And then, this small house started turning into some sort of a huge palace.
591
00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:33,300
In 2010, Sergei Kolesnikov published an open letter
592
00:42:33,300 --> 00:42:38,180
calling on President Medvedev to end Putin's corruption.
593
00:42:38,180 --> 00:42:43,460
Kolesnikov, as a person involved in the palace construction project, told literally everything:
594
00:42:43,460 --> 00:42:46,660
where is what is being built, on whose money, in whose name it is registered,
595
00:42:46,660 --> 00:42:50,260
all the machinations - with offshore companies, with bearer shares - everything.
596
00:42:50,260 --> 00:42:55,120
He published documents - postings, contracts, audio recordings
597
00:42:55,120 --> 00:43:00,440
of negotiations between builders and sponsors. It all happened 10 years ago, and to be honest,
598
00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:05,220
there have probably been no leaks of this magnitude and reliability since that moment.
599
00:43:05,220 --> 00:43:08,140
The essence is as follows. Kolesnikov, together with Gorelov,
600
00:43:08,140 --> 00:43:10,800
founded the “Petromed” company in the early 90s.
601
00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:13,740
The St. Petersburg mayor's office also had a stake in this company,
602
00:43:13,740 --> 00:43:16,260
and as you remember, the interests of the city in such companies
603
00:43:16,260 --> 00:43:18,380
were represented by the deputy mayor Vladimir Putin.
604
00:43:18,380 --> 00:43:23,240
So, Putin, Kolesnikov and Gorelov had known each other for many years.
605
00:43:23,240 --> 00:43:26,980
At the beginning of 2000 Nikolay Shamalov came to “Petromed”
606
00:43:26,980 --> 00:43:33,480
with a personal offer from newly elected president Putin, who was looking to earn some money.
607
00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:37,220
The proposal, like everything that Putin comes up with, was openly corrupt.
608
00:43:37,220 --> 00:43:40,220
And it is especially funny given the fact that after becoming president,
609
00:43:40,220 --> 00:43:44,280
Putin publicly announced that he was starting a fight against the oligarchs.
610
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:48,820
In our country, oligarchs were representatives of large business
611
00:43:48,820 --> 00:43:56,920
who try to influence political decisions from the shadows, from behind the society’s backs.
612
00:43:56,920 --> 00:43:59,840
This group of people must cease to exist.
613
00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:03,080
This was a struggle of life and death, see for yourselves.
614
00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:06,960
They agreed that oligarchs, such as Abramovich and Mordashov,
615
00:44:06,960 --> 00:44:11,780
would donate money to “Petromed”, and “Petromed” would spend it on medicine -
616
00:44:11,780 --> 00:44:14,500
modernizing hospitals, purchasing equipment, and so on.
617
00:44:14,500 --> 00:44:19,760
But! Part of the agreement was that 35% of the donated amount
618
00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:23,880
will go to a special offshore company, with bearer shares.
619
00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:26,180
That is, the owner’s surname is not indicated anywhere,
620
00:44:26,180 --> 00:44:29,380
the company will belong to whoever brings the document.
621
00:44:29,380 --> 00:44:39,420
He offered these oligarchs to participate in some sort of charity programs.
622
00:44:39,420 --> 00:44:45,280
For example, supplying medical equipment.
623
00:44:45,280 --> 00:45:00,520
Shamalov set the condition that 35% of these shipments will need to be kept, so to say.
624
00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:10,200
And then, this is very important, when we were making this decision at the very beginning,
625
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:16,480
there were no talks at all about this palace, any sort of cash, and so on.
626
00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:22,240
This money was to be spent on investment projects
627
00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:28,540
for the production of medical equipment in Russia.
628
00:45:28,540 --> 00:45:33,800
Shamalov, Gorelov and Kolesnikov himself got 2% of the offshore shares,
629
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:37,360
and 94% of the shares were given to Putin.
630
00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:41,580
Or “Mikhail Ivanovich”, as the project participants called him for conspiracy purposes.
631
00:45:41,580 --> 00:45:45,200
What’s the origin of this whole “Mikhail Ivanovich” thing? What does it mean?
632
00:45:45,200 --> 00:45:54,940
It was so that we could talk in a company and not say his surname, since it attracts attention.
633
00:45:54,940 --> 00:46:02,000
If people stand nearby and hear you say “Putin”,
634
00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:09,780
they will immediately cock their ears and listen for your every word.
635
00:46:09,780 --> 00:46:15,060
Putin was “Mikhail Ivanovich”, who else was there… Timchenko was…
636
00:46:15,060 --> 00:46:17,600
Timchenko was “Gangrene”
637
00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:19,620
And Kozhin?
638
00:46:19,620 --> 00:46:22,500
Shuvalov was “Professor Preobrazhensky”...
639
00:46:22,500 --> 00:46:26,860
This is actually called a kickback. But Putin called it Rosinvest.
640
00:46:26,860 --> 00:46:29,760
He apparently does not know how to do projects without the prefix ROS.
641
00:46:29,760 --> 00:46:32,660
Initially, it was assumed that Rosinvest would become
642
00:46:32,660 --> 00:46:34,820
something like the president's personal investment fund.
643
00:46:34,820 --> 00:46:38,500
He will take these kickbacks from all these Mordashevs and Abramovichs,
644
00:46:38,500 --> 00:46:43,480
but patriotically invest them in Russian enterprises that are in decline.
645
00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:47,560
And then take credit for it and earn political points.
646
00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:51,720
Oh, I almost forgot! They also agreed that a palace would be built with this money.
647
00:46:51,720 --> 00:46:55,840
There were really some investment projects. But not for long.
648
00:46:55,840 --> 00:46:59,460
After some time, Shamalov, who was the main liaison from Putin,
649
00:46:59,460 --> 00:47:02,520
and the person in whose name the object in Gelendzhik was registered,
650
00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:05,580
ordered to shut down all projects ... except for the palace.
651
00:47:05,580 --> 00:47:13,040
And then they tell us: “We need to shut everything down”. It was during the 2008 crisis.
652
00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:18,420
“We need to shut everything down, because there’s not enough money for the palace”
653
00:47:18,420 --> 00:47:22,160
Well, I said that I won’t be a constructor of the palace.
654
00:47:22,160 --> 00:47:27,840
All Rosinvest's money was to be sent to the construction site of the century in Gelendzhik.
655
00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:32,740
Kolesnikov, who had no plans to devote his life and business to Putin's palace,
656
00:47:32,740 --> 00:47:36,460
writes that very letter and tells the details of what happened.
657
00:47:36,460 --> 00:47:39,400
By that time, several hundred million dollars
658
00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:42,000
had already been spent on the still unfinished palace.
659
00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:47,060
And the total planned estimate was no less than a billion dollars.
660
00:47:47,060 --> 00:47:52,200
A few years later, the story told by Kolesnikov was confirmed by the famous "Panama Papers"
661
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:56,200
and other investigations, for example, the Reuters agency made a good one.
662
00:47:56,200 --> 00:47:59,100
Do you remember the national project “Health”?
663
00:47:59,100 --> 00:48:04,380
The journalists discovered that our state bought expensive medical equipment
664
00:48:04,380 --> 00:48:06,400
at a price much higher than the market price.
665
00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:09,340
The difference between prices remained with the intermediaries,
666
00:48:09,340 --> 00:48:11,580
who, having passed the money through several companies,
667
00:48:11,580 --> 00:48:17,500
eventually transferred it to the accounts of Lanfranco Cirillo, the Italian architect of Putin's palace.
668
00:48:17,500 --> 00:48:20,900
With the wording “for the construction of an object on the Black Sea”.
669
00:48:20,900 --> 00:48:26,120
So, we literally paid taxes in order to treat those who fell ill with this money.
670
00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:30,080
But they took this money and spent it on Putin's palace.
671
00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:31,400
Thank you very much
672
00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:35,620
On the Internet, you can find several photos of the palace itself.
673
00:48:35,620 --> 00:48:39,460
They’re impressive, of course, and remove all questions about who the owner is.
674
00:48:39,460 --> 00:48:43,440
By the way, here is a detail that struck me personally to the core.
675
00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:48,140
Take a look at this photograph of the gateway of the residence taken by one of the workers.
676
00:48:48,140 --> 00:48:53,380
Something here must seem vaguely familiar to you. You've already seen this somewhere. That's where.
677
00:48:53,380 --> 00:48:59,400
The classic, familiar to everyone, scene of the storming of the Winter Palace from the film by Sergei Eisenstein.
678
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:04,380
You can still see this eagle now if you visit St. Petersburg and approach the Hermitage.
679
00:49:04,380 --> 00:49:10,900
And the fact that Putin put an exact copy of the Tsar's eagle with a crown from the Winter Palace
680
00:49:10,900 --> 00:49:16,700
on the gate of his personal dacha tells us a lot about who this man thinks he is.
681
00:49:16,700 --> 00:49:21,100
But neither this leak, nor the Kolesnikov story, confirmed by dozens of documents,
682
00:49:21,100 --> 00:49:24,340
could stop the construction of the century on the Black Sea coast.
683
00:49:24,340 --> 00:49:27,360
If Putin wants a palace, Putin will get a palace.
684
00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:32,200
To cool down the scandal and distract public attention, they came up with a scheme.
685
00:49:32,200 --> 00:49:36,080
The palace was “bought” by businessman Alexander Ponomarenko.
686
00:49:36,080 --> 00:49:39,540
He is a long-time partner of Putin's judo friends Rotenbergs -
687
00:49:39,540 --> 00:49:44,080
he deals with real estate and co-owns Sheremetyevo airport with them.
688
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:48,740
Ponomarenko gave several interviews, where he said “yes, I bought it for myself.
689
00:49:48,740 --> 00:49:52,060
I will build a hotel here" And he even confirmed to reporters
690
00:49:52,060 --> 00:49:56,380
that he bought the palace from Shamalov for about $ 350 million.
691
00:49:56,380 --> 00:50:00,040
He also mentioned that he registered the purchase to his Cypriot offshore company.
692
00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:03,560
We open the financial statements of this offshore company to verify.
693
00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:07,460
We find the required 2011 and see that there was indeed a purchase.
694
00:50:07,460 --> 00:50:10,560
But the palace was bought not for 350 million dollars,
695
00:50:10,560 --> 00:50:14,020
but for 350 thousand dollars, or 10 million rubles at that rate.
696
00:50:14,020 --> 00:50:18,360
That’s the price of a two-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Moscow.
697
00:50:18,360 --> 00:50:23,980
So, this is an absolutely fictitious deal, they did not even bother to transfer real money,
698
00:50:23,980 --> 00:50:30,060
they simply appointed a special rich man who will be considered the owner of the palace near Gelendzhik.
699
00:50:30,060 --> 00:50:34,720
From the moment Ponomarenko took over the honorary position of the nominal owner,
700
00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:38,500
nothing has changed in terms of management of the palace.
701
00:50:38,500 --> 00:50:43,860
It’s just that before, Shamalov was the owner of the palace, and now he became its manager.
702
00:50:43,860 --> 00:50:48,140
After Shamalov, some kind of company called "Investstroy" began to manage the palace.
703
00:50:48,140 --> 00:50:54,020
To an uninitiated person, this should have indicated that there was no connection with Putin at all.
704
00:50:54,020 --> 00:51:01,660
Its director is a certain Bolat Zakaryanov, and the owners are Tatyana Kuznetsova and Inna Kolpakova.
705
00:51:01,660 --> 00:51:07,040
The offshore company to which the palace was registered was represented by a man named Ivan Serditov.
706
00:51:07,040 --> 00:51:12,600
Who are all these people... We look at their biographies and everything becomes crystal clear.
707
00:51:12,600 --> 00:51:16,420
Bolat Zakaryanov was the director of the palace's management company,
708
00:51:16,420 --> 00:51:21,800
and now, by Putin's decree, he was appointed head of the main public catering department
709
00:51:21,800 --> 00:51:24,200
of the Presidential Property Management Department.
710
00:51:24,200 --> 00:51:29,620
Tatyana Kuznetsova is the wife of Oleg Kuznetsov, then the current chief
711
00:51:29,620 --> 00:51:33,180
of military unit 1473 of the federal security service,
712
00:51:33,180 --> 00:51:37,220
which participated in the construction of the palace as a “customer-developer”.
713
00:51:37,220 --> 00:51:40,080
Now this military unit has been renamed into a more understandable
714
00:51:40,080 --> 00:51:43,900
"Department for the Operation of Property of the State Security Bodies".
715
00:51:43,900 --> 00:51:47,060
Inna Kolpakova is the wife of Alexander Kolpakov,
716
00:51:47,060 --> 00:51:51,440
then the head of the “V” department of the Russian President's Security Service.
717
00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:57,120
The tasks of this unit include the construction and management of the residences of the head of state.
718
00:51:57,120 --> 00:52:00,060
Now Alexander Kolpakov is the Chief Executive Officer
719
00:52:00,060 --> 00:52:03,020
of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
720
00:52:03,020 --> 00:52:09,720
Ivan Serditov is a young lawyer who at that time worked for Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev & Partners.
721
00:52:09,720 --> 00:52:14,880
Hmm... Egorov ... do you remember him? This is the same Nikolai Egorov, Putin's classmate,
722
00:52:14,880 --> 00:52:17,940
who later got him a place at the mayor's office under Sobchak.
723
00:52:17,940 --> 00:52:23,920
Now Serditov is the head of the legal department of the Presidential Property Management Department.
724
00:52:23,920 --> 00:52:28,460
And a little bonus, just so you understand how beneficial it is to keep Putin's secrets.
725
00:52:28,460 --> 00:52:34,660
Here, on the embankment in Gelendzhik, in 2015, four 1000 m2 houses were built side by side.
726
00:52:34,660 --> 00:52:37,180
One was received by the manager Tatyana Kuznetsova,
727
00:52:37,180 --> 00:52:38,920
the second - by Kolpakov's father-in-law,
728
00:52:38,920 --> 00:52:41,700
the third - by the architect of the palace Lanfranco Cirillo,
729
00:52:41,700 --> 00:52:45,600
and the fourth and largest belongs to the son of Bolat Zakaryanov.
730
00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:51,060
So no matter how much we get told that this object belongs to a certain businessman, this is a blatant lie.
731
00:52:51,060 --> 00:52:54,340
Houses of businessmen don’t have no-fly zones over them,
732
00:52:54,340 --> 00:52:58,060
they are not built by FSO officers and not guarded by FSB officers.
733
00:52:58,060 --> 00:53:02,400
The sea is not closed in front of the houses of businessmen, even for fishing boats.
734
00:53:02,400 --> 00:53:09,520
No one can have the slightest doubt that this is Putin's palace. Let's move on to the interiors!
735
00:53:09,520 --> 00:53:14,200
This is certainly not just a building, it is a symbol of the 20 years of Putin's rule:
736
00:53:14,200 --> 00:53:18,780
how it looks, how it is hidden, who pays for it, and even the fact
737
00:53:18,780 --> 00:53:22,760
that it has been under construction for 15 years and they still cannot finish it.
738
00:53:22,760 --> 00:53:28,520
Just imagine, you have an unlimited amount of money, all the power and any resources.
739
00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:31,660
How do you use it? We know many different examples.
740
00:53:31,660 --> 00:53:35,320
The richest people in the world often donate their fortune to charity.
741
00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:39,840
Or build a university. Or a huge hospital that will be named after them.
742
00:53:39,840 --> 00:53:44,600
What dream is Putin realizing? What for did he arrange all this -
743
00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:48,200
20 years in power, repressive laws, robbed poor people,
744
00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:52,660
complete destruction of politics, rewritten constitution, people in prison?
745
00:53:52,660 --> 00:53:59,460
We will now see the answer. For gold and marble, for sofas and couches in the Louis XIV style,
746
00:53:59,460 --> 00:54:04,800
for mosaics, frescoes, stained glass windows, a home theater and even an aquadiskotheque.
747
00:54:04,800 --> 00:54:07,920
I promised you that we will visit Vladimir Putin.
748
00:54:07,920 --> 00:54:11,180
And we will do so, despite the fact that no one invited us there.
749
00:54:11,180 --> 00:54:15,540
One of the important contractors who worked on the arrangement of the palace will help us.
750
00:54:15,540 --> 00:54:19,320
He was so stunned and enraged by the luxury of the decoration
751
00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:25,400
and the insane prices of furniture that he sent us a detailed architectural plan of this object.
752
00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:32,300
It has everything - from a drawing of floor patterns
753
00:54:32,300 --> 00:54:35,980
to the SKUs of all pieces of furniture and the placement of outlets.
754
00:54:35,980 --> 00:54:41,480
So, you and I will literally see what kind of sofas Vladimir Putin sits on,
755
00:54:41,480 --> 00:54:45,180
what beds he lies on, at what tables he eats.
756
00:54:45,180 --> 00:54:50,460
Look at the basement floor, there is a huge swimming pool, a spa area, a massage room,
757
00:54:50,460 --> 00:54:56,860
a beauty salon, some kind of spa capsule. Saunas, hamams, plunge tubs and bathing bowls.
758
00:54:56,860 --> 00:55:01,120
From the pool you can get to the street - to the place that is indicated on the plan
759
00:55:01,120 --> 00:55:05,020
as an aquadiskotheque. I honestly didn't know such things existed.
760
00:55:05,020 --> 00:55:07,720
This is the place on the plan, and here is its photograph.
761
00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:11,760
Something like a fountain where you can sit and order drinks from the bar.
762
00:55:11,760 --> 00:55:16,560
And believe me, this is not yet the biggest surprise that awaits us at Putin's dacha.
763
00:55:16,560 --> 00:55:23,120
There are dozens of outbuildings here, you can't do without them when you live the life of a real monarch.
764
00:55:23,120 --> 00:55:28,860
Rooms for staff - doctors, managers, cooks. Dressing rooms for waiters,
765
00:55:28,860 --> 00:55:34,620
meat and fish workshop, vegetable workshop, bakery workshop, egg processing workshop.
766
00:55:34,620 --> 00:55:38,440
This one’s good - an 18 m2 "mud warehouse".
767
00:55:38,440 --> 00:55:42,920
Obviously, President Putin needs a lot of dirt for a comfortable life.
768
00:55:42,920 --> 00:55:47,080
Well, from more traditional things, there is a “cocktail lounge” from which you can enter
769
00:55:47,080 --> 00:55:52,440
either the home cinema or the tasting room and wine cellar. Wonderful.
770
00:55:52,440 --> 00:55:55,540
On the ground floor, there is a gym with tatami mats.
771
00:55:55,540 --> 00:56:00,300
Nearby there are a lot of interesting rooms such as a reading room or a musical parlor.
772
00:56:00,300 --> 00:56:03,280
Do you think Putin learned to play the piano in vain?
773
00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:07,500
No, after a hard presidential day,having taken care of the people,
774
00:56:07,500 --> 00:56:10,960
he plans to come to the musical parlor and play something for the soul…
775
00:56:17,480 --> 00:56:20,640
It is absolutely fair to argue now: you invented all this,
776
00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:24,260
you drew the plans yourself and are showing them to us.
777
00:56:24,260 --> 00:56:27,180
And at his next press conference, Putin himself will declare as usual:
778
00:56:27,180 --> 00:56:34,400
This isn’t an investigation, it’s a legalization of the materials of American secret services
779
00:56:34,400 --> 00:56:40,800
Therefore, before the tour, I must verify everything and prove to you the authenticity of the documents.
780
00:56:40,800 --> 00:56:45,280
I have already said that in 2011, several pictures of the palace interiors,
781
00:56:45,280 --> 00:56:47,940
taken by workers, appeared on the Internet.
782
00:56:47,940 --> 00:56:52,000
When the plans were sent to us, we took them ourselves and began to compare them
783
00:56:52,000 --> 00:56:55,620
with the existing photographs to make sure that this was not a fake.
784
00:56:55,620 --> 00:56:59,740
I already showed you the aquadiskotheque. Here is a photo, here it is on the plan.
785
00:56:59,740 --> 00:57:03,740
But okay, it can be seen from the outside and redrawn. Let's look for something inside.
786
00:57:03,740 --> 00:57:06,140
Here is a photo, it’s clearly from the dining room.
787
00:57:06,140 --> 00:57:09,820
Here you can clearly see tables, chairs and sideboards with monograms.
788
00:57:09,820 --> 00:57:14,560
We easily find this room on the plan. This is the "small dining room",
789
00:57:14,560 --> 00:57:20,200
we look at the name of the furniture indicated in the plan, it says Citterio Atena.
790
00:57:20,200 --> 00:57:25,940
It is, like all the rest of the palace furniture suppliers, a super exclusive Italian furniture house,
791
00:57:25,940 --> 00:57:30,620
selling piece goods strictly on order. It is impossible to google such a set.
792
00:57:30,620 --> 00:57:36,700
So we wrote a letter to Citterio's factory and just asked to send us a catalog. And voila.
793
00:57:36,700 --> 00:57:39,060
The furniture set in the catalog looks like this.
794
00:57:39,060 --> 00:57:43,180
Table, chairs, sideboard - everything is the same as in the photo.
795
00:57:43,180 --> 00:57:48,620
And just to be sure, here's a photo of a worker next to a nightstand.
796
00:57:48,620 --> 00:57:53,300
The pattern is visible on the floor. We are looking for the same one on our plans and find it in the bedroom.
797
00:57:53,300 --> 00:57:57,280
Let's see what kind of nightstand it is. Here is the company name, Pozzolli, and the item number.
798
00:57:57,280 --> 00:58:00,820
We order a catalog from this factory, which is again super exclusive,
799
00:58:00,820 --> 00:58:04,320
they don't even have this furniture on their own website, and again find success.
800
00:58:04,320 --> 00:58:08,540
The nightstand indicated in the plans exactly matches the nightstand in the photo.
801
00:58:08,540 --> 00:58:11,220
Funny thing with this Italian furniture.
802
00:58:11,220 --> 00:58:16,320
We asked to send us photographs of 20 or 30 pieces of furniture that we found on the plans,
803
00:58:16,320 --> 00:58:18,940
and the representatives of the factory were at some point very surprised -
804
00:58:18,940 --> 00:58:22,500
they asked if we had ordered exactly the same set
805
00:58:22,500 --> 00:58:27,220
for the construction of a palace on the Black Sea. We said yes, we ordered it.
806
00:58:27,220 --> 00:58:32,360
And here is another Italian family furniture factory, there is also a lot of their items in Putin’s palace,
807
00:58:32,360 --> 00:58:36,660
they casually posted photos of Putin's palace interiors on their website,
808
00:58:36,660 --> 00:58:42,940
as well as a video that says that their clients deserve the most extraordinary interiors,
809
00:58:42,940 --> 00:58:45,240
and then, apparently, shows these clients.
810
00:58:45,240 --> 00:58:50,320
These factories really make super exclusive furniture in such small quantities
811
00:58:50,320 --> 00:58:53,540
that they remember all their customers for decades.
812
00:58:53,540 --> 00:58:58,280
The prices are corresponding, here are a couple of real pieces of furniture from Putin's interiors.
813
00:58:58,280 --> 00:59:03,520
Such a leather sofa costs 2 million rubles. This dressing table is also worth 2 million.
814
00:59:03,520 --> 00:59:07,220
The sofas that stand in the corridors, apparently for guests, are cheaper,
815
00:59:07,220 --> 00:59:08,620
for example, this one is 1.5 million.
816
00:59:08,620 --> 00:59:13,820
There is also this cool table with a built-in bar worth 4 million corrupt rubles.
817
00:59:13,820 --> 00:59:19,440
Anyway. After making sure that our architectural plans are absolutely accurate and reliable,
818
00:59:19,440 --> 00:59:24,140
we ordered a 3D visualization and recreated all the interiors.
819
00:59:24,140 --> 00:59:28,340
Wherever there are photos, the reconstruction is 100% true to the original.
820
00:59:28,340 --> 00:59:31,460
And where there are none, minor details may differ,
821
00:59:31,460 --> 00:59:34,200
such as the color scheme or the pattern on the wallpaper.
822
00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:36,660
We go into the palace from the main entrance.
823
00:59:36,660 --> 00:59:40,940
Vladimir Putin fancies himself the Russian emperor and behaves accordingly.
824
00:59:40,940 --> 00:59:45,720
An Italian architect built him a palace in the Italian style. A classic palazzo.
825
00:59:45,720 --> 00:59:48,820
The courtyard with a fountain in the center is surrounded by galleries,
826
00:59:48,820 --> 00:59:52,340
as if we are not near Gelendzhik but in Bologna or Florence.
827
00:59:52,340 --> 00:59:56,140
From the courtyard we go into the atheneum, that’s the name of this room.
828
00:59:56,140 --> 00:59:59,820
Here we will see how similar our reconstruction is to the original.
829
00:59:59,820 --> 01:00:03,060
Photos of this room are available on the Internet, so we can compare.
830
01:00:03,060 --> 01:00:09,020
Look, the columns, stucco moldings, chandeliers and frescoes completely match, one hundred percent.
831
01:00:09,020 --> 01:00:12,440
And here are the golden eagles. There are never too many of them.
832
01:00:12,440 --> 01:00:15,800
Vladimir Putin, reading Komsomolskaya Pravda in this room,
833
01:00:15,800 --> 01:00:18,660
must remember that he is the master of Russia.
834
01:00:18,660 --> 01:00:22,860
And here’s where one of the most famous photographs from inside the palace was taken.
835
01:00:22,860 --> 01:00:28,320
A carefree worker lay down on the sofa on which the most august body would later lie.
836
01:00:28,320 --> 01:00:32,640
He should be careful, this sofa is more expensive than his apartment.
837
01:00:32,640 --> 01:00:35,580
We leave the atheneum, we still have many places to visit.
838
01:00:35,580 --> 01:00:40,900
The doors on the right swing open and we find ourselves in a chic marble foyer with a bar.
839
01:00:40,900 --> 01:00:45,280
These are usually found in front of a theater or concert hall. And our guess is right.
840
01:00:45,280 --> 01:00:48,580
Rich people love to have small movie theaters in their homes.
841
01:00:48,580 --> 01:00:52,220
And the President of Russia built a REAL theater at home,
842
01:00:52,220 --> 01:00:56,660
with a huge stage, backstage, dressing rooms and luxury boxes.
843
01:00:56,660 --> 01:01:00,580
I'm not kidding, inside Putin's palace there is a full-fledged theater.
844
01:01:00,580 --> 01:01:05,960
The auditorium is two-story. The three boxes below can be covered with velvet curtains
845
01:01:05,960 --> 01:01:08,860
in case the owner wants a more intimate setting.
846
01:01:08,860 --> 01:01:11,160
On the second floor there are balconies with sofas.
847
01:01:11,160 --> 01:01:14,360
This shows Vladimir Putin's loyalty to traditions.
848
01:01:14,360 --> 01:01:20,380
In tsarist Russia, landowners built serf theaters for themselves, so our president also built one.
849
01:01:20,380 --> 01:01:26,640
Singer Natalia Vetlitskaya spoke about his craving for costume parties and dressing up back in 2011.
850
01:01:26,640 --> 01:01:31,680
Together with other artists, she was invited to a private performance at Putin's residence on lake Valdai,
851
01:01:31,680 --> 01:01:36,740
and to her surprise, she had to perform in front of Putin and 5 of his guests,
852
01:01:36,740 --> 01:01:40,440
who were dressed in tailcoats and costumes from Catherine's times.
853
01:01:40,440 --> 01:01:45,440
The performers were paid with the titles of People's Artists, expensive watches, diamonds
854
01:01:45,440 --> 01:01:49,840
and the most valuable thing - an icon with the president's personal autograph.
855
01:01:49,840 --> 01:01:52,060
What did Putin write on the icon?
856
01:01:52,060 --> 01:01:54,300
“Best regards, Vladimir Putin”
857
01:01:54,300 --> 01:01:59,460
While ordinary Russians make themselves comfortable to enjoy “Wheel of Fortune”,
858
01:01:59,460 --> 01:02:03,120
the lights go out in the theater of the Black Sea palace, the curtain opens
859
01:02:03,120 --> 01:02:07,020
and the national leader enjoys more exquisite pleasures.
860
01:02:07,020 --> 01:02:10,420
Speaking of exquisite pleasures. You know what our president is a fan of?
861
01:02:10,420 --> 01:02:14,260
Believe it or not, he loves hookah. We go to the room
862
01:02:14,260 --> 01:02:17,280
that’s labelled as a hookah bar on the house plan.
863
01:02:17,280 --> 01:02:22,500
Indeed, it looks like the best, most expensive hookah lounge in the city of Makhachkala.
864
01:02:22,500 --> 01:02:27,940
Sofas, tables, dim lights. The perfect atmosphere to discuss budget issues.
865
01:02:27,940 --> 01:02:32,140
Lying among soft pillows, the President and his guests can also enjoy a show.
866
01:02:32,140 --> 01:02:36,280
This hall is also equipped with a small stage, and surprisingly
867
01:02:36,280 --> 01:02:39,560
there is a special elevation with a pole on the stage.
868
01:02:39,560 --> 01:02:43,420
We just can't even imagine why a pole is needed on the stage.
869
01:02:43,420 --> 01:02:47,440
Maybe for a Christmas tree? Or a giant shawarma?
870
01:02:47,440 --> 01:02:50,660
Or maybe for performances in support of the constitution?
871
01:02:50,660 --> 01:02:55,800
If the hookah bar surprised you, you’ll like this even more.
872
01:02:55,800 --> 01:03:01,140
In his letter to Medvedev, Sergei Kolesnikov said that there is a casino inside the palace,
873
01:03:01,140 --> 01:03:05,500
but no one paid attention to these words back then, because it was impossible to imagine
874
01:03:05,500 --> 01:03:09,840
that the President of Russia would build a casino in his personal house.
875
01:03:09,840 --> 01:03:16,440
He must have overexaggerated. But no, the huge private casino really exists.
876
01:03:16,440 --> 01:03:29,820
The project included a casino. But this casino wasn’t for people from the street.
877
01:03:29,820 --> 01:03:32,960
It was just for passing time.
878
01:03:32,960 --> 01:03:36,800
We enter the personal casino of Vladimir Putin.
879
01:03:36,800 --> 01:03:40,040
They are prohibited throughout the rest of the country, but everything is possible here.
880
01:03:40,040 --> 01:03:44,600
Two card tables and, of course, roulette. I wonder what they play for.
881
01:03:44,600 --> 01:03:47,140
They are definitely not interested in simply betting money.
882
01:03:47,140 --> 01:03:50,540
They most likely play for state companies, so don’t be surprised
883
01:03:50,540 --> 01:03:56,440
that all the country's national treasures belong to Putin's friends. He probably just lost them.
884
01:03:56,440 --> 01:04:00,320
From the casino, through the billiard room, we get to the game room.
885
01:04:00,320 --> 01:04:04,620
The first thing that impresses us is that our president is no stranger to simple entertainment.
886
01:04:04,620 --> 01:04:09,660
He loves to dance. A dance machine with a huge screen is installed here.
887
01:04:09,660 --> 01:04:17,260
The rest of the room is filled with slot machines. An own Black Sea Las Vegas for a true patriot.
888
01:04:17,260 --> 01:04:21,080
This room is called “hall of entertaining games”.
889
01:04:21,080 --> 01:04:26,220
Here, one-armed bandits stand next to gilded chairs worth 700,000 rubles each.
890
01:04:26,220 --> 01:04:30,200
And here is probably the most favorite room of the President of Russia.
891
01:04:30,200 --> 01:04:32,540
The place where Putin outplays everyone.
892
01:04:32,540 --> 01:04:38,180
There are no globes and maps of military operations here, but there are toy racing cars.
893
01:04:38,180 --> 01:04:43,640
For his little electric friends, there is a special room the size of a one-room apartment.
894
01:04:43,640 --> 01:04:49,800
Here, on a special track, the main geopolitical strategist of our time performs amazing tricks,
895
01:04:49,800 --> 01:04:55,200
overtakes his rivals at turns and invariably becomes the winner of the big race.
896
01:04:55,200 --> 01:04:59,380
A little embarrassed, we go to the second floor, to the inner sanctum -
897
01:04:59,380 --> 01:05:02,120
the bedroom of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
898
01:05:02,120 --> 01:05:05,100
and President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
899
01:05:05,100 --> 01:05:08,360
Although, the word "suite" is more appropriate.
900
01:05:08,360 --> 01:05:11,060
Everything here follows the best aristocratic rules.
901
01:05:11,060 --> 01:05:13,520
You don’t just open the door and see the bed.
902
01:05:13,520 --> 01:05:19,060
First comes the first living room with sofas and armchairs, apparently for resting before resting.
903
01:05:19,060 --> 01:05:23,520
And only from here can you get into the boudoir, so we tiptoe inside.
904
01:05:30,520 --> 01:05:38,320
“Crazed emperor” are the words that come to mind when you see this.
905
01:05:38,320 --> 01:05:43,440
Gold, velvet, canopies, but also an obligatory TV opposite the bed,
906
01:05:43,440 --> 01:05:45,920
so as not to miss important news on Channel One.
907
01:05:45,920 --> 01:05:50,500
It was here, in Putin's bedroom, near this nightstand that this photo was taken.
908
01:05:50,500 --> 01:05:52,420
We’re not the only ones who are so indelicate.
909
01:05:52,420 --> 01:05:57,580
From the royal bedchamber you can get into another, extremely private living room,
910
01:05:57,580 --> 01:05:59,400
probably even Sechin has never been here.
911
01:05:59,400 --> 01:06:04,660
There’s one more door, behind it is a wardrobe,and through it you can get into the bathroom,
912
01:06:04,660 --> 01:06:07,560
where there are marble columns around the jacuzzi.
913
01:06:07,560 --> 01:06:10,480
I don’t know how many square meters you need to sleep,
914
01:06:10,480 --> 01:06:15,020
but in the Gelendzhik palace, 260 m2 was allocated for the master's bedroom.
915
01:06:15,020 --> 01:06:18,000
It seems that the moment has come when it's time to say:
916
01:06:18,000 --> 01:06:23,080
“We showed you Putin's palace, his bedroom, casino, aquadiskotheque and toy cars.
917
01:06:23,080 --> 01:06:25,440
Subscribe to our channel and share this video.”
918
01:06:25,440 --> 01:06:28,360
But the thing is that, in fact, his possessions on the Black Sea
919
01:06:28,360 --> 01:06:31,560
are not limited to this palace complex.
920
01:06:31,560 --> 01:06:36,500
“Putin's Palace” is much more than what we have seen and imagined.
921
01:06:40,740 --> 01:06:43,620
Vineyards
922
01:06:43,620 --> 01:06:48,180
Here, in the village of Divnomorskoye, there are 186 hectares of land.
923
01:06:48,180 --> 01:06:53,080
We see only 23 that are used for vineyards, but they’re so beautiful!
924
01:06:53,080 --> 01:06:55,980
The company "Lazurnaya Yagoda" received them in 2010,
925
01:06:55,980 --> 01:06:59,820
and another 150 hectares around them leased by it.
926
01:06:59,820 --> 01:07:02,620
This is a fairly well-known winery, they have a website,
927
01:07:02,620 --> 01:07:07,860
you can see these exact landscapes beautifully shot for advertising brochures.
928
01:07:07,860 --> 01:07:12,940
There is also a photograph of the winery itself, a small factory, very nice,
929
01:07:12,940 --> 01:07:17,660
here it is right before our eyes, its area is 5244 m2.
930
01:07:17,660 --> 01:07:22,840
The building is completely wooden, and classical music plays inside around the clock
931
01:07:22,840 --> 01:07:28,140
for the maturing wine. It is believed that this makes the wine better.
932
01:07:28,140 --> 01:07:33,380
It also has its own helipad measuring 60 by 60 meters. What winery can do without it?
933
01:07:33,380 --> 01:07:37,500
By the way, the site is connected to a secure government line.
934
01:07:37,500 --> 01:07:41,300
I don't know why, but I can imagine that it can be very convenient
935
01:07:41,300 --> 01:07:47,020
when someone on the other end of the line urgently needs a bottle or two.
936
01:07:47,020 --> 01:07:51,120
We fly from the winery and see the fence and the checkpoint inside the facility.
937
01:07:51,120 --> 01:07:54,900
This, as we have already seen from the example of Putin's palace, is a common practice.
938
01:07:54,900 --> 01:08:02,660
It allows to isolate the winery staff from the cottage staff and protect secret objects from prying eyes.
939
01:08:02,660 --> 01:08:07,640
We fly over the vineyards and understand that there is indeed something to hide.
940
01:08:07,640 --> 01:08:12,060
A huge dacha, or "Chateau" as it is called in the documents.
941
01:08:12,060 --> 01:08:16,580
The building has a quirky shape with many balconies and open areas.
942
01:08:16,580 --> 01:08:24,160
The area is 2,389 m2, near it the 3,201 m2 spa complex with a large veranda,
943
01:08:24,160 --> 01:08:27,780
as well as an artificial pond. There are small houses for birds on the pond.
944
01:08:27,780 --> 01:08:32,640
Why does Putin need another dacha 10 km from the huge palace?
945
01:08:32,640 --> 01:08:35,600
One of the project's developers described it to us like this:
946
01:08:35,600 --> 01:08:40,480
"You sit with a glass of red wine and admire the sea views at sunset."
947
01:08:40,480 --> 01:08:42,660
Apparently in the neighboring Praskoveevka,
948
01:08:42,660 --> 01:08:47,080
where a tasting room was specially cut down in the rock, the sunsets are different.
949
01:08:47,080 --> 01:08:51,980
Together with the palace, these vineyards were sold to Ponomarenko in 2011.
950
01:08:51,980 --> 01:08:56,100
But then came an interesting turn of events. Just 4 months later,
951
01:08:56,100 --> 01:09:01,500
Ponomarenko himself sold them too, to none other than the chairman of the Party of Growth,
952
01:09:01,500 --> 01:09:07,960
business ombudsman, Boris Titov. For the next 6 years, he formally owned these vineyards,
953
01:09:07,960 --> 01:09:15,560
launched wine production, and then returned the chateau and vineyards to Putin's friends in 2018.
954
01:09:15,560 --> 01:09:20,940
It is interesting that all the while Titov was the owner, treated the journalists with “his” wine,
955
01:09:20,940 --> 01:09:24,560
and in general actively pretended that this was his new long-term project,
956
01:09:24,560 --> 01:09:30,000
legally this enterprise continued to be controlled by the management companies known to us
957
01:09:30,000 --> 01:09:37,180
owned by Putin's friend and affiancer Nikolai Shamalov, Tatyana Kuznetsova, Inna Kolpakova and Ivan Serditov.
958
01:09:37,180 --> 01:09:40,540
And what about Titov?
959
01:09:40,540 --> 01:09:44,220
And what about Titov? Titov, too, received some benefit for himself
960
01:09:44,220 --> 01:09:46,040
from participating in this cover operation.
961
01:09:46,040 --> 01:09:50,640
Just a year after his Abrau Durso became the owner of “Lazurnaya Yagoda”,
962
01:09:50,640 --> 01:09:55,180
Vladimir Putin appointed Boris Titov as the business ombudsman by his decree.
963
01:09:55,180 --> 01:10:00,120
Even this position was specially invented for him, so that (Putin’s) business would be protected.
964
01:10:00,120 --> 01:10:06,120
Sure, the business likes to whine sometimes, but still…
965
01:10:06,120 --> 01:10:11,000
To tell our story further, we need to take a close look at this bottle of wine.
966
01:10:11,000 --> 01:10:17,140
It is bottled in this very winery. The label says "exclusive wine, “Usadba Divnomorskoe”,
967
01:10:17,140 --> 01:10:22,380
made according to the best European technologies from grapes grown on the terroir
968
01:10:22,380 --> 01:10:27,840
near the city of Gelendzhik, on rocky slopes descending to the Black Sea coast,
969
01:10:27,840 --> 01:10:30,700
surrounded by a relict pine forest." And here is the manufacturer.
970
01:10:30,700 --> 01:10:34,540
But for some reason it’s not OOO “Lazurnaya Yagoda”,
971
01:10:34,540 --> 01:10:37,260
but another company - AO “Divnomorye”.
972
01:10:37,260 --> 01:10:42,440
And here we find another Putin’s scheme worth many billions of rubles.
973
01:10:42,440 --> 01:10:47,240
The wine is actually not produced by “Lazurnaya Yagoda”, but by this company, “Divnomorye”.
974
01:10:47,240 --> 01:10:51,100
It rents a production building, a 2000-meter warehouse from “Lazurnaya Yagoda”,
975
01:10:51,100 --> 01:10:54,720
grows grapes and sells them under the brand name "Usadba Divnomorskoe".
976
01:10:54,720 --> 01:10:58,380
The business is small, about 150,000 bottles a year
977
01:10:58,380 --> 01:11:02,620
(for comparison, Abrau Durso produces 39 million bottles).
978
01:11:02,620 --> 01:11:10,160
But despite this, in 2018, someone issued an interest-free loan to “Divnomorye” - 7.5 billion rubles.
979
01:11:10,160 --> 01:11:16,500
Someone donated 2.5 annual budgets of Gelendzhik to a tiny winery.
980
01:11:16,500 --> 01:11:23,980
This benefactor, and concurrently the only owner of AO “Divnomorye” was 42-year-old Vladimir Kolbin.
981
01:11:23,980 --> 01:11:26,840
There is nothing remarkable in the biography of this person.
982
01:11:26,840 --> 01:11:30,120
He works as a hired director of the Gelendzhik seaport.
983
01:11:30,120 --> 01:11:33,240
The man is certainly not poor, but he does not look like an oligarch.
984
01:11:33,240 --> 01:11:36,720
Here is his 337 m2 in Gelendzhik, half a kilometer from the sea,
985
01:11:36,720 --> 01:11:41,300
the house was bought a year ago, in December 2019, it’s certainly not a billionaire's palace.
986
01:11:41,300 --> 01:11:45,380
His 214 m2 house in the Leningrad region is even more modest.
987
01:11:45,380 --> 01:11:50,780
Where could he have gotten 7.5 billion from? From his dad.
988
01:11:50,780 --> 01:11:55,680
Vladimir Kolbin is the son of Peter Kolbin, the very childhood friend of Putin,
989
01:11:55,680 --> 01:12:01,580
with whom they went to the village disco together and who later became one of Putin's wallets.
990
01:12:01,580 --> 01:12:05,940
In 2018, Kolbin Sr. died, but it is obvious that his position
991
01:12:05,940 --> 01:12:09,960
as the holder of Putin's money was inherited by his son.
992
01:12:09,960 --> 01:12:16,700
And one more interesting detail. "Usadba Divnomorskoe", a wine from this absolutely unknown, small winery,
993
01:12:16,700 --> 01:12:22,040
in the complete absence of any serious advertising, has a very special status.
994
01:12:22,040 --> 01:12:25,340
I think hardly any of you have tried and seen it.
995
01:12:25,340 --> 01:12:28,940
This is because you, dear spectators, do not go to receptions in the Kremlin.
996
01:12:28,940 --> 01:12:32,980
We found some photos of the menu from the last Kremlin receptions.
997
01:12:32,980 --> 01:12:40,080
Victory Day 2019 - Kamchatka crab salad, scallop and “Usadba Divnomoskoe” chardonnay are served.
998
01:12:40,080 --> 01:12:43,640
Or National Unity Day, look at the menu - the same set.
999
01:12:43,640 --> 01:12:48,800
Putin personally treats his friends and comrade Xi Jin Ping from China with this wine
1000
01:12:48,800 --> 01:12:53,260
and discusses "deeper integration" with Lukashenka while drinking the same chardonnay.
1001
01:12:53,260 --> 01:12:58,560
At first, winemaking was just a status thing for Putin. A chic hobby that emphasizes his status.
1002
01:12:58,560 --> 01:13:02,340
But the desire of others to curry his favor and an unlimited amount of money
1003
01:13:02,340 --> 01:13:07,420
led to the inevitable - the hobby got out of control. Second vineyards were set up,
1004
01:13:07,420 --> 01:13:10,820
which turned out to be even larger and even more expensive
1005
01:13:10,820 --> 01:13:16,240
than those that we have just shown you. And in middle of them, we found a whole super winery.
1006
01:13:16,240 --> 01:13:19,740
The new vineyards are located in the opposite direction from the palace,
1007
01:13:19,740 --> 01:13:21,820
just 9 km away, in the village of Krinitsa.
1008
01:13:21,820 --> 01:13:24,420
In the 19th century, a group of members of “Narodnaya Volya”
1009
01:13:24,420 --> 01:13:27,740
and Tolstoyans with their families moved here and organized a community.
1010
01:13:27,740 --> 01:13:31,160
In 1886, they founded the first vineyards here.
1011
01:13:31,160 --> 01:13:35,980
130 years later, this gentleman from St. Petersburg came to replace the Tolstoyans.
1012
01:13:35,980 --> 01:13:40,280
Nikolai Egorov, who sat at the same desk with Putin at the institute.
1013
01:13:40,280 --> 01:13:45,920
His company, Axis Investments, rented 140 hectares of land right here in 2015.
1014
01:13:45,920 --> 01:13:51,740
Now look at these nasty pictures. Who is this man beaten to a pulp?
1015
01:13:51,740 --> 01:13:55,280
Maybe the leader of a terrorist cell who was detained somewhere in the woods?
1016
01:13:55,280 --> 01:13:59,760
A dangerous bandit? No, this is the famous Krasnodar ecologist Andrei Rudomakha.
1017
01:13:59,760 --> 01:14:03,060
The photo was taken after he was beaten up by unknown people -
1018
01:14:03,060 --> 01:14:05,280
Rudomakha had his skull and nose broken,
1019
01:14:05,280 --> 01:14:07,240
he had chemical burns to his eyes and other injuries.
1020
01:14:07,240 --> 01:14:12,780
This happened after he and his colleagues went to Krinitsa with an environmental inspection.
1021
01:14:12,780 --> 01:14:17,020
Environmentalists went there to film whoever was illegally cutting down the forest there.
1022
01:14:17,020 --> 01:14:22,940
And they found a giant construction site, fences, 6 security posts and a Byzantine-style church there.
1023
01:14:22,940 --> 01:14:26,480
After the attack on Rudomakha, Novaya Gazeta journalists discovered
1024
01:14:26,480 --> 01:14:30,600
that this unusual church was imported from Greece, and this was done
1025
01:14:30,600 --> 01:14:35,260
by the manager of Putin's palace and other vineyards, the wife of the head of the FSO military unit,
1026
01:14:35,260 --> 01:14:40,660
Tatyana Arnoldovna Kuznetsova, whom we have already mentioned many times.
1027
01:14:40,660 --> 01:14:44,400
Journalists even wrote a request to "Axis" demanding a comment
1028
01:14:44,400 --> 01:14:48,540
on what Kuznetsova was doing with them. And they were directly told that Kuznetsova
1029
01:14:48,540 --> 01:14:50,660
was the technical customer of the entire project.
1030
01:14:50,660 --> 01:14:55,580
That is, the person who manages the construction on behalf of the property owner.
1031
01:14:55,580 --> 01:14:59,320
I can repeat this story like a parrot for the third time,
1032
01:14:59,320 --> 01:15:04,960
these vineyards are actually part of Putin's property - the palace was registered for one person,
1033
01:15:04,960 --> 01:15:08,980
the vineyards in Divnomorsk for the second, these ones for the third.
1034
01:15:08,980 --> 01:15:11,920
They’re still managed by the same people.
1035
01:15:11,920 --> 01:15:15,640
Let's rather see from the air what is hidden behind the high fences
1036
01:15:15,640 --> 01:15:19,440
and what new construction of the century is unfolding right now.
1037
01:15:19,440 --> 01:15:25,780
We fly from the Black Sea to the other vineyards of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in the village of Krinitsa.
1038
01:15:25,780 --> 01:15:30,360
The three fields in front of you are just a small part of them, only 18 hectares.
1039
01:15:30,360 --> 01:15:32,720
To the right there are two times more.
1040
01:15:32,720 --> 01:15:37,000
All the land around the vineyards is also Putin's, 140 hectares.
1041
01:15:37,000 --> 01:15:40,800
Over there in front we see a huge construction site and fly to see.
1042
01:15:40,800 --> 01:15:45,180
Hundreds of workers are building a super modern huge winery here.
1043
01:15:45,180 --> 01:15:50,100
Some of the builders live in these prefabricated structures, some are brought in by buses every day.
1044
01:15:50,100 --> 01:15:53,660
3 billion rubles are spent annually on this project.
1045
01:15:53,660 --> 01:15:56,940
An incredibly expensive hobby at others’ expense.
1046
01:15:56,940 --> 01:16:02,400
We fly on. The building on the right is one of the two checkpoints, with an area of 830 m2.
1047
01:16:02,400 --> 01:16:06,720
The huge gate allows you to drive any trucks through this building.
1048
01:16:06,720 --> 01:16:09,620
A little more to the right is the administrative building.
1049
01:16:09,620 --> 01:16:14,660
We turn around and see the 1208 m2 building of the energy center.
1050
01:16:14,660 --> 01:16:19,760
It is from this building that the entire winery will be supplied with electricity and heat.
1051
01:16:19,760 --> 01:16:25,100
And we find ourselves exactly above the garage for agricultural machinery. 1149 m2.
1052
01:16:25,100 --> 01:16:30,900
We turn a little over the already completely refined territory and see the winery itself.
1053
01:16:30,900 --> 01:16:38,680
According to the documents, its area is 13,762 m2, which is only 4,000 m2 less than Putin's palace.
1054
01:16:38,680 --> 01:16:43,020
The new wine complex, although not completed, already has an official name -
1055
01:16:43,020 --> 01:16:46,220
"Old Provence'' wine-making compound.
1056
01:16:46,220 --> 01:16:51,460
And if at the plant in Divnomorskoye, recordings of classical music are played around the clock for Putin's wine,
1057
01:16:51,460 --> 01:16:58,540
here there is enough room for a whole symphony orchestra, to the envy of the finest Tuscan wines.
1058
01:16:58,540 --> 01:17:01,620
Impressive, right? But now I will impress you even more.
1059
01:17:01,620 --> 01:17:06,020
We found the company that supplies equipment for this winery.
1060
01:17:06,020 --> 01:17:08,220
In their customs declarations, they indicated
1061
01:17:08,220 --> 01:17:13,120
that the items they brought in from abroad were for the Krinitsa winery.
1062
01:17:13,120 --> 01:17:16,940
In total, we found 58 declarations - a drop in the sea of purchases
1063
01:17:16,940 --> 01:17:20,880
during the construction of the plant, but they are striking to the core.
1064
01:17:20,880 --> 01:17:28,020
Conus-shaped tempered glass vase - 30 thousand euros or 2.6 million rubles.
1065
01:17:28,020 --> 01:17:32,700
Pendant chandelier “Gold Moon” with a system of decorative leaves - 2.7 million.
1066
01:17:32,700 --> 01:17:36,960
Fabric sofa with twenty pillows - over 3 million.
1067
01:17:36,960 --> 01:17:41,920
Coffee table with melted metal finish - 4.3 million rubles.
1068
01:17:41,920 --> 01:17:44,740
A coffee table for the price of a two-room flat in Balashikha.
1069
01:17:44,740 --> 01:17:49,900
I am the richest person not only in Europe, but in the whole world.
1070
01:17:49,900 --> 01:17:56,300
And a few more special items, not so expensive, but perfectly showing us the world in which Putin lives.
1071
01:17:56,300 --> 01:18:02,920
This is an Italian toilet brush for 700 euros or 62 thousand rubles
1072
01:18:02,920 --> 01:18:08,960
and a toilet paper holder for 1038 euros or 92 thousand rubles.
1073
01:18:08,960 --> 01:18:14,800
150 thousand for a brush and a toilet paper holder in one bathroom only.
1074
01:18:14,800 --> 01:18:16,740
And there are, of course, dozens of them.
1075
01:18:16,740 --> 01:18:19,800
And this is not a residential building, not a dacha, this is a factory.
1076
01:18:19,800 --> 01:18:24,160
Putin will not live here, he will sometimes drop in here, walk between the vineyards,
1077
01:18:24,160 --> 01:18:28,620
praise the terroir and say “what a delight”. But in case something happens,
1078
01:18:28,620 --> 01:18:33,540
a brush and a paper holder for 150 thousand rubles will be waiting for him in the toilet.
1079
01:18:33,540 --> 01:18:35,840
The annual pension of the average Russian pensioner
1080
01:18:35,840 --> 01:18:40,060
is in one of Putin's latrines, which he may never enter.
1081
01:18:40,060 --> 01:18:43,720
We will be able to annually increase the old-age pensions
1082
01:18:43,720 --> 01:18:48,320
for non-working pensioners by an average of 1000 rubles
1083
01:18:48,320 --> 01:18:50,900
But the winery is not limited to this.
1084
01:18:50,900 --> 01:18:55,580
The company Axis Investments has a twin - “Apex Yug” and we discovered
1085
01:18:55,580 --> 01:19:01,160
that it owns another 150 hectares of vineyards two kilometers west of Divnomorskoe.
1086
01:19:01,160 --> 01:19:07,060
Thus, the total area of Putin's hobby has grown to 530 hectares.
1087
01:19:07,060 --> 01:19:09,760
And one more thing before we go to far from Krinitsa.
1088
01:19:09,760 --> 01:19:16,360
This section, which we saw during our flight, is leased by a company called “Yuzhnaya Citadel”.
1089
01:19:16,360 --> 01:19:20,580
It is also part of Putin's Black Sea empire. The defense part.
1090
01:19:20,580 --> 01:19:24,000
This company is engaged in the cultivation of oysters and mussels.
1091
01:19:24,000 --> 01:19:28,960
We do not understand why they rent this small plot in Krinitsa with household buildings.
1092
01:19:28,960 --> 01:19:35,200
But we do understand why they are renting this huge offshore plot. And this one. And this one.
1093
01:19:35,200 --> 01:19:37,760
The water area was transferred to the company
1094
01:19:37,760 --> 01:19:39,900
under the obligation to breed oysters and mussels there,
1095
01:19:39,900 --> 01:19:44,260
but not a single mollusk, judging by their annual report, went on sale.
1096
01:19:44,260 --> 01:19:46,640
However, under the pretext of this oyster farm,
1097
01:19:46,640 --> 01:19:49,440
people can be prohibited from approaching the palace by water.
1098
01:19:49,440 --> 01:19:53,860
And just for the mention of this oyster farm, the oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov
1099
01:19:53,860 --> 01:19:57,820
dispersed the leadership of the RBK Media, which he owned.
1100
01:20:02,660 --> 01:20:05,160
The Owners
1101
01:20:05,160 --> 01:20:09,120
So. You and I saw a huge bribe that was given to Putin.
1102
01:20:09,120 --> 01:20:12,600
Now there is very little left - to figure out who paid it
1103
01:20:12,600 --> 01:20:16,720
and how our president for life formalizes his secret assets.
1104
01:20:16,720 --> 01:20:22,080
We have thousands of bank transactions, contracts, powers of attorney, registration documents,
1105
01:20:22,080 --> 01:20:24,300
and stories from those who worked at this construction site.
1106
01:20:24,300 --> 01:20:29,540
This is more than enough for us to a) prove that the palace and vineyards
1107
01:20:29,540 --> 01:20:33,420
are a single legal and financial system - the same people pay for everything.
1108
01:20:33,420 --> 01:20:38,460
And b) to demonstrate how Putin's slush fund works - people pool some money,
1109
01:20:38,460 --> 01:20:45,240
it goes to special firms, gets mixed, and then is spent on entertaining the national leader. We will see how.
1110
01:20:45,240 --> 01:20:49,720
We'll start with who owns it all. More precisely, to whom it is registered.
1111
01:20:49,720 --> 01:20:55,400
Respect where it’s due, given that the local people refer to this place only as Putin's palace,
1112
01:20:55,400 --> 01:20:57,500
the level of secrecy is impressive.
1113
01:20:57,500 --> 01:21:00,580
Here is the winery in Divnomorskoye, here are the vineyards in Krinitsa,
1114
01:21:00,580 --> 01:21:05,300
here are some more vineyards not far from Divnomorsk, the oyster farm, and the palace.
1115
01:21:05,300 --> 01:21:10,620
All of them are registered to specially created joint stock companies, into which money is pumped.
1116
01:21:10,620 --> 01:21:16,640
These joint-stock companies hide their owners and all 5 formally unrelated companies
1117
01:21:16,640 --> 01:21:22,500
have chosen one registrar - TsUR - Center for Accounting and Registration in St. Petersburg.
1118
01:21:22,500 --> 01:21:28,740
This company is a specially created pocket registar controlled by Putin's friend Kovalchuk.
1119
01:21:28,740 --> 01:21:34,560
It keeps information about the real shareholders of all our Gelendzhik companies,
1120
01:21:34,560 --> 01:21:39,840
as well as all other well-known assets of the Kovalchuks - Rossiya Bank, National Media Group, etc.
1121
01:21:39,840 --> 01:21:43,020
This Kovalchuk’s registrar was created specifically
1122
01:21:43,020 --> 01:21:46,060
so that it was impossible to say exactly what belongs to whom.
1123
01:21:46,060 --> 01:21:49,960
Therefore, we need to prove it in other ways - using accounting reports,
1124
01:21:49,960 --> 01:21:52,820
annual reports, powers of attorney, and so on.
1125
01:21:52,820 --> 01:21:55,280
We expand our scheme further. Vineyards.
1126
01:21:55,280 --> 01:21:58,860
We have already established that AO “Divnomorye” belongs to Kolbin.
1127
01:21:58,860 --> 01:22:02,260
“Lazurnaya Yagoda”, which owns the vineyards and the Chateau,
1128
01:22:02,260 --> 01:22:06,120
belongs to the non-profit partnership “Development of Agrarian Initiatives”.
1129
01:22:06,120 --> 01:22:11,300
This is a special fund owned by the same Kolbin and our old friend Gennady Timchenko.
1130
01:22:11,300 --> 01:22:14,860
Well, not OUR friend, but Putin's old friend from the 90s.
1131
01:22:14,860 --> 01:22:18,100
“Axis” and “Apex”, along with their toilet brushes
1132
01:22:18,100 --> 01:22:21,760
were also sold to them in 2019 by Putin’s classmate Yegorov.
1133
01:22:21,760 --> 01:22:27,200
For 300 hectares of land, an almost completely built super plant and set up vineyards,
1134
01:22:27,200 --> 01:22:32,240
“Agrarian Initiatives” paid only 60 million rubles to the previous owner Yegorov.
1135
01:22:32,240 --> 01:22:34,020
Here we need to stop for a while
1136
01:22:34,020 --> 01:22:37,520
and explain the meaning of the scheme with this non-profit partnership.
1137
01:22:37,520 --> 01:22:40,680
I hope you remember our film "Don't Call Him Dimon" about Medvedev,
1138
01:22:40,680 --> 01:22:45,360
who also had all his secret dachas registered to non-profit funds.
1139
01:22:45,360 --> 01:22:49,500
Putin uses exactly the same scheme, only he has much more money.
1140
01:22:49,500 --> 01:22:52,880
The point is it’s easier to transfer money to such funds,
1141
01:22:52,880 --> 01:22:55,620
since they are non-commercial and there is no need to pay taxes.
1142
01:22:55,620 --> 01:23:00,280
So, it is actually a wallet, or rather a chest for fundraising,
1143
01:23:00,280 --> 01:23:03,100
and they don't even pretend to be engaged in some kind of activity.
1144
01:23:03,100 --> 01:23:08,060
Let's see. Here is the annual reporting that NPOs are required to submit to the Ministry of Justice.
1145
01:23:08,060 --> 01:23:12,460
This is the report of Kolbin and Timchenko’s “Development of Agrarian Initiatives”.
1146
01:23:12,460 --> 01:23:14,720
As you can see, judging by these figures,
1147
01:23:14,720 --> 01:23:17,700
their agrarian initiatives are unimpressive, or rather nonexistent.
1148
01:23:17,700 --> 01:23:22,940
But if you open the annual financial statements, the picture is completely different.
1149
01:23:22,940 --> 01:23:25,360
Tens of billions in accounts.
1150
01:23:25,360 --> 01:23:29,760
And as we see, they come in the form of “donations'' and “assignments” -
1151
01:23:29,760 --> 01:23:32,860
not only money is donated to the fund, but also shares of companies,
1152
01:23:32,860 --> 01:23:35,000
they receive rights of claim under loan agreements.
1153
01:23:35,000 --> 01:23:37,000
So much money has accumulated on the fund's accounts
1154
01:23:37,000 --> 01:23:42,580
that just interest on deposits brings them 650 million rubles a year. Interest only.
1155
01:23:42,580 --> 01:23:47,880
Timchenko and Kolbin have another such fund that finances the same projects -
1156
01:23:47,880 --> 01:23:52,280
“Development of an efficient investment market”. It's the same story.
1157
01:23:52,280 --> 01:23:57,960
On the accounts of an unknown company with one full-time employee are 21 billion rubles.
1158
01:23:57,960 --> 01:24:03,420
We still have oysters and the palace left. According to the official version, both are owned by Ponomarenko.
1159
01:24:03,420 --> 01:24:08,680
The palace was last re-registered in 2017, when the offshore company Savoyan
1160
01:24:08,680 --> 01:24:11,820
was replaced by the Russian company AO “Binom”.
1161
01:24:11,820 --> 01:24:16,380
The old owner is represented by a certain Natalya Tikhomirova by proxy.
1162
01:24:16,380 --> 01:24:20,980
And the new owner is also represented by Natalya Tikhomirova, she is the director of “Binom”.
1163
01:24:20,980 --> 01:24:24,600
She’s also the director of “Yuzhnaya Citadel”, which is responsible for oysters and defense.
1164
01:24:24,600 --> 01:24:27,240
It's amazing - as if they are selling to themselves.
1165
01:24:27,240 --> 01:24:30,800
In general, there are a lot of amazing things about “Binom”.
1166
01:24:30,800 --> 01:24:36,060
How do you imagine a company that owns the most expensive real estate in the world?
1167
01:24:36,060 --> 01:24:43,280
A company that owns the presidential palace, albeit illegally and fraudulently? Not like this, I bet.
1168
01:24:45,660 --> 01:24:51,240
We are in St. Petersburg, in an ordinary residential area somewhere near the outskirts of the city.
1169
01:24:51,240 --> 01:24:56,220
It is here, in a very modest business center, that “Binom” rents the premises.
1170
01:24:56,220 --> 01:25:03,080
It's right there. Here, behind this window, tens of billions of rubles are spinning.
1171
01:25:03,080 --> 01:25:08,300
Here the company rents a space of less than 10 m2. This is not enough even for one employee.
1172
01:25:08,300 --> 01:25:12,880
They hide the real owner from us, but we can at least look
1173
01:25:12,880 --> 01:25:18,240
who represents his interests at meetings of shareholders. That is, the main person in “Binom”,
1174
01:25:18,240 --> 01:25:23,540
under whose signature all decisions are made. This is a certain Alexander Samosyuk.
1175
01:25:23,540 --> 01:25:28,020
We can also study the powers of attorney to see which lawyers work for “Binom”,
1176
01:25:28,020 --> 01:25:32,000
who can sign its documents. We get a few more names.
1177
01:25:32,000 --> 01:25:36,380
In total, we have compiled a list of 5 managers of “Binom” company,
1178
01:25:36,380 --> 01:25:40,540
director Tikhomirova, a representative of a shareholder, and three lawyers.
1179
01:25:40,540 --> 01:25:46,260
Do you know what unites them all? They are all staff members of another company,“Accept”,
1180
01:25:46,260 --> 01:25:50,000
which belongs to Mikhail Lvovich Shelomov.
1181
01:25:50,000 --> 01:25:55,760
Who is this new character who seems the most important in the scheme of ownership of the palace?
1182
01:25:55,760 --> 01:25:59,680
The hint can be found directly on the official website of Vladimir Putin:
1183
01:25:59,680 --> 01:26:05,960
"Vladimir Putin's mother - Maria Ivanovna Shelomova - was a very gentle and benevolent person."
1184
01:26:05,960 --> 01:26:09,960
Putin's mother, Maria Ivanovna, had a brother, Ivan Ivanovich.
1185
01:26:09,960 --> 01:26:14,560
And Mikhail Shelomov is his grandson, that is, Putin's first cousin once removed.
1186
01:26:14,560 --> 01:26:20,500
Mikhail Shelomov was born in 1968, in the late 80s and 90s he worked on construction sites,
1187
01:26:20,500 --> 01:26:23,200
then got a job as a photographer in a photo studio.
1188
01:26:23,200 --> 01:26:28,680
Shelomov's career was so unsuccessful that he was literally arranged for any job by an acquaintance.
1189
01:26:28,680 --> 01:26:34,080
In 2002, Shelomov was appointed to the state shipping company Sovcomflot.
1190
01:26:34,080 --> 01:26:37,800
Let's listen to the person who directly hired him:
1191
01:26:37,800 --> 01:26:41,260
First of all, tell me: you used to be the head of Sovcomflot, right?
1192
01:26:41,260 --> 01:26:46,140
That’s right, from 2000 to 2004.
1193
01:26:46,140 --> 01:26:52,520
And Shelomov was an employee of Sovcomflot. So, you’ve seen him yourself, right?
1194
01:26:52,520 --> 01:27:00,360
Yes, I was the one who hired him, it was between 2000 and 2001, I don’t remember exactly.
1195
01:27:00,360 --> 01:27:08,080
Alright, since this is a very extraordinary man, please tell me how he ended up there.
1196
01:27:08,080 --> 01:27:14,260
Well, part of my job was solving staff issues.
1197
01:27:14,260 --> 01:27:20,340
Almost every member of the board was taking up somebody’s case in one way or another.
1198
01:27:20,340 --> 01:27:28,040
This included Igor Ivanovich Sechin. He wasn’t on our board, but I met with him,
1199
01:27:28,040 --> 01:27:35,360
And he once asked me to give a job to a man in St. Petersburg.
1200
01:27:35,360 --> 01:27:40,220
I asked if he worked on land or on the ship to know where to appoint him.
1201
01:27:40,220 --> 01:27:43,880
He told me to see for myself and gave me a file with data on this guy.
1202
01:27:43,880 --> 01:27:53,620
I looked through this file and decided to forward it to the head of our St. Petersburg office.
1203
01:27:53,620 --> 01:28:00,260
Let him meet the guy, talk to him and see who it is, maybe he’ll refuse.
1204
01:28:00,260 --> 01:28:06,780
He met him, talked to him, and I received a call from Sechin,
1205
01:28:06,780 --> 01:28:10,600
who asked me whether I gave the guy a job or not.
1206
01:28:10,600 --> 01:28:16,820
We were constructing tankers at the Admiralty Shipyards,
1207
01:28:16,820 --> 01:28:22,480
So he was used in accordance with his professional skills, mostly for photography.
1208
01:28:22,480 --> 01:28:24,480
So, he simply took photos of the ships?
1209
01:28:24,480 --> 01:28:31,560
Not the ships, but the construction process. Plus, he did some minor office work.
1210
01:28:31,560 --> 01:28:37,480
I later thought that I should ask Mikhail why there was such an interest in his person.
1211
01:28:37,480 --> 01:28:42,580
First the minister personally asks me about him, then Kozhin…
1212
01:28:42,580 --> 01:28:49,500
So I asked Shelomov: “Mikhail, I need to know for the future what to expect and how to react,
1213
01:28:49,500 --> 01:28:51,780
so please give me some explanation who you are”
1214
01:28:51,780 --> 01:28:57,280
He then told me in secret that he is a close relative of Putin.
1215
01:28:57,280 --> 01:29:02,320
And at the same time, at the very beginning of the 2000s, during Putin’s first term,
1216
01:29:02,320 --> 01:29:06,240
Shelomov, who lived very modestly, began to grow fabulously rich.
1217
01:29:06,240 --> 01:29:11,220
The very same “Accept” company was given shares in Putin's pocket bank Rossiya bank
1218
01:29:11,220 --> 01:29:13,680
and the largest Russian insurance company Sogaz.
1219
01:29:13,680 --> 01:29:16,700
Even back then, it was hundreds of millions of dollars.
1220
01:29:16,700 --> 01:29:20,080
Shelomov was to be considered one of the richest people in the country.
1221
01:29:20,080 --> 01:29:24,680
But all this time he continued to work as an ordinary hired employee in Sovcomflot,
1222
01:29:24,680 --> 01:29:28,080
worked in the office and lived in a modest townhouse on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.
1223
01:29:28,080 --> 01:29:31,840
He still lives there. After all, his wealth does not belong to him;
1224
01:29:31,840 --> 01:29:36,080
he’s just a nominal owner of what Putin stole or received in the form of bribes.
1225
01:29:36,080 --> 01:29:40,100
Remember the recent news before the new year? A Kyrgyz boy wrote a letter to Putin,
1226
01:29:40,100 --> 01:29:43,320
like Santa Claus, and asked for Gazprom shares as a gift.
1227
01:29:43,320 --> 01:29:48,420
Putin noticed this letter, they made a whole news feed out of it, everyone laughed touchingly,
1228
01:29:48,420 --> 01:29:52,720
and unfortunately they gave the boy not shares, but Tula gingerbread and a portrait of Putin.
1229
01:29:52,720 --> 01:30:05,040
A New Year’s gift for Rustam from the President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin!
1230
01:30:05,040 --> 01:30:07,420
A Tula gingerbread and a thermocup.
1231
01:30:07,420 --> 01:30:10,840
Father Frost presented the gift from the Presidential Administration,
1232
01:30:10,840 --> 01:30:15,160
As well as the president’s portrait with his autograph and the wish to study well.
1233
01:30:15,160 --> 01:30:17,720
He could, in principle, give the boy a share or two,
1234
01:30:17,720 --> 01:30:20,500
since he has an abundance of these shares in his family.
1235
01:30:20,500 --> 01:30:25,500
We found out that Putin's cousin Shelomov, through the same “Accept” company,
1236
01:30:25,500 --> 01:30:33,220
owns 39 million shares of Gazprom (this is about 0.2% of all its shares),
1237
01:30:33,220 --> 01:30:36,820
the market value of which exceeds 8 billion rubles,
1238
01:30:36,820 --> 01:30:41,440
and just this already brings Shelomov about half a billion rubles a year.
1239
01:30:41,440 --> 01:30:48,500
In 2018, he received 650 million from the company. And a Tula gingerbread, I hope.
1240
01:30:48,500 --> 01:30:59,160
I don't wanna be a millionaire, I don't wanna be a billionaire, I wanna be a shareholder of OAO Gazprom
1241
01:30:59,160 --> 01:31:01,680
Having studied this object's 15-year history
1242
01:31:01,680 --> 01:31:05,600
we understand that it does not matter to whom the palace is registered.
1243
01:31:05,600 --> 01:31:10,100
Lots of people have been its owners, but what matters is who manages it.
1244
01:31:10,100 --> 01:31:13,980
And if earlier, until 2017, these were people associated with the FSO
1245
01:31:13,980 --> 01:31:19,880
and the presidential administration, now, the palace is managed by the company of Putin's cousin.
1246
01:31:19,880 --> 01:31:26,260
A close blood relative, to whom Putin's most secret assets have been registered for years.
1247
01:31:30,840 --> 01:31:33,620
The Sponsors
1248
01:31:33,620 --> 01:31:37,500
Now we get to the most interesting part. Who’s paying for all this?
1249
01:31:37,500 --> 01:31:38,920
Remember where we started?
1250
01:31:38,920 --> 01:31:43,400
The main rule of Putin's corruption is to keep money with those you know for a long time.
1251
01:31:43,400 --> 01:31:48,000
We have analyzed more than 100,000 bank transactions of companies and people
1252
01:31:48,000 --> 01:31:54,400
involved in the palace financing scheme and are ready to reveal the names of Putin's main wallets.
1253
01:31:54,400 --> 01:31:58,960
Throughout this video, talking about Putin, I mentioned a bunch of people,
1254
01:31:58,960 --> 01:32:02,080
completely different, who seemingly have nothing to do with each other,
1255
01:32:02,080 --> 01:32:04,160
and now you will understand why they’re all here.
1256
01:32:04,160 --> 01:32:10,160
They all met on the Black Sea coast to pay the world's biggest bribe.
1257
01:32:10,160 --> 01:32:14,540
Here are our companies, already familiar, to which the vineyards and the palace are registered.
1258
01:32:14,540 --> 01:32:17,180
Let's start with vineyards and chateau in Divnomorskoye.
1259
01:32:17,180 --> 01:32:21,900
The company AO “Divnomorye”, which produces wine "Usadba Divnomorskoe"
1260
01:32:21,900 --> 01:32:25,220
received over 8 million rubles from Vladimir Kolbin,
1261
01:32:25,220 --> 01:32:28,180
the son of a childhood friend of Vladimir Putin, Peter Kolbin.
1262
01:32:28,180 --> 01:32:32,920
The company “Lazurnaya Yagoda”, which owns the vineyards and the chateau,
1263
01:32:32,920 --> 01:32:37,500
received the most money from the Russian company “Aratron”, more than 2 billion rubles.
1264
01:32:37,500 --> 01:32:41,060
“Aratron” belongs to the Petersburg businessman Alexander Plekhov.
1265
01:32:41,060 --> 01:32:44,660
This is a very interesting and not at all random character.
1266
01:32:44,660 --> 01:32:48,000
Remember the billions of dollars that were found in the accounts
1267
01:32:48,000 --> 01:32:52,700
of Putin's childhood friend, cellist Roldugin, in the Panama Papers?
1268
01:32:52,700 --> 01:33:00,860
He’s spent almost all the money he’s earned on purchasing musical instruments abroad,
1269
01:33:00,860 --> 01:33:02,860
and he brought them to Russia
1270
01:33:02,860 --> 01:33:06,180
These billions, for some reason, were transferred by state-owned companies and oligarchs,
1271
01:33:06,180 --> 01:33:10,240
and the cellist himself, apparently, had no idea what he owned.
1272
01:33:10,240 --> 01:33:15,680
That is, these are literally Putin's personal billions, his offshore wallets.
1273
01:33:15,680 --> 01:33:20,940
Alexander Plekhov was the manager of these offshore companies, by proxy.
1274
01:33:20,940 --> 01:33:23,660
And another offshore company, which received money
1275
01:33:23,660 --> 01:33:27,600
from the oligarch Mordashov and the Rotenbergs, was registered to Plekhov personally.
1276
01:33:27,600 --> 01:33:30,960
Plekhov’s “Aratron”, by the way, gave money not only to”Lazurnaya Yagoda”,
1277
01:33:30,960 --> 01:33:33,220
but also to “Divnomorye” and “Yuzhnaya Citadel”,
1278
01:33:33,220 --> 01:33:35,560
which was supposed to breed oysters and mussels.
1279
01:33:35,560 --> 01:33:37,800
Plekhov runs his business in St. Petersburg
1280
01:33:37,800 --> 01:33:41,600
together with another Putin’s friend and dacha neighbor, Yuri Kovalchuk.
1281
01:33:41,600 --> 01:33:45,460
Kovalchuk appears in our diagram along with a whole cloud of offshore companies.
1282
01:33:45,460 --> 01:33:49,880
This is a whole web of companies controlled by him that transfers money back and forth.
1283
01:33:49,880 --> 01:33:54,140
These offshore companies are also used to finance personal assets of the Kovalchuk brothers,
1284
01:33:54,140 --> 01:33:56,620
such as houses in Gelendzhik and the Leningrad region,
1285
01:33:56,620 --> 01:34:02,520
planes, helicopters, and many other assets that are attributed to both Kovalchuk and Putin.
1286
01:34:02,520 --> 01:34:04,960
The offshore company “Forstis” stands out here:
1287
01:34:04,960 --> 01:34:09,760
it also gave money to both “DIvnomorye” and oysters, but most of it, 1.5 billion,
1288
01:34:09,760 --> 01:34:13,300
went to “Lazurnaya Yagoda”. It was also mentioned in the Panama Papers.
1289
01:34:13,300 --> 01:34:18,680
With its help, Roldugin's firms transfered money from offshore companies back to Russia,
1290
01:34:18,680 --> 01:34:20,960
to the Russian account of this company.
1291
01:34:20,960 --> 01:34:25,460
But this is not all the money at the expense of which “Lazurnaya Yagoda” exists and grows grapes.
1292
01:34:25,460 --> 01:34:29,800
They are also maintained by the state corporation Rosneft and Putin’s main protégé,
1293
01:34:29,800 --> 01:34:33,320
who once carried his briefcase during his days at the St. Petersburg mayor's office,
1294
01:34:33,320 --> 01:34:37,040
and now for some reason is considered great and terrible - Igor Ivanovich Sechin.
1295
01:34:37,040 --> 01:34:41,660
A lease agreement has been signed between “Lazurnaya Yagoda” and a subsidiary of Rosneft,
1296
01:34:41,660 --> 01:34:47,000
according to which the state corporation pays the winery 40 million rubles per month
1297
01:34:47,000 --> 01:34:49,000
for the rent of God knows what.
1298
01:34:49,000 --> 01:34:53,280
“Lazurnaya Yagoda” simply has nothing that could be worth that kind of money.
1299
01:34:53,280 --> 01:34:58,920
Right now you can rent an office with an area of 13742 m2 for this money,
1300
01:34:58,920 --> 01:35:02,120
several upper floors in a skyscraper in Moscow City.
1301
01:35:02,120 --> 01:35:05,880
In total, “Lazurnaya Yagoda” received almost 2 billion rubles
1302
01:35:05,880 --> 01:35:09,320
from state company Rosneft with such fictitious lease payments.
1303
01:35:09,320 --> 01:35:14,520
We stop here because this is the most important part of the scheme that needs to be processed.
1304
01:35:14,520 --> 01:35:19,100
There are companies owned by two billionaires - Timchenko and Kolbin,
1305
01:35:19,100 --> 01:35:21,820
they themselves have already put so much money into these companies
1306
01:35:21,820 --> 01:35:25,560
that they cannot spend it anymore and simply put it on a deposit in a bank.
1307
01:35:25,560 --> 01:35:31,040
And still, billionaire Kovalchuk, cellist Roldugin and the state company Rosneft
1308
01:35:31,040 --> 01:35:35,260
are throwing even more money there. Why?
1309
01:35:35,260 --> 01:35:39,760
Because before us is the legendary Putin’s slush fund.
1310
01:35:39,760 --> 01:35:43,840
It’s just like in the books you read about thieves in law.
1311
01:35:43,840 --> 01:35:49,260
Putin's businessmen pay tribute to their boss, who spends this money at his own discretion.
1312
01:35:49,260 --> 01:35:52,220
Moving on. The other vineyards and plant, in Krinitsa.
1313
01:35:52,220 --> 01:35:54,720
They are being built with the money of several people.
1314
01:35:54,720 --> 01:36:00,420
First of all, Gennady Timchenko, Putin's business partner from the 90s, gave 3.3 billion.
1315
01:36:00,420 --> 01:36:04,780
And another 3 billion was given by Putin’s school friend Nikolai Yegorov.
1316
01:36:04,780 --> 01:36:07,160
I have already mentioned him many times in this video,
1317
01:36:07,160 --> 01:36:10,520
you might get the impression that Yegorov is some kind of big oligarch.
1318
01:36:10,520 --> 01:36:13,840
No, Egorov is a lawyer, he is a partner in a law firm.
1319
01:36:13,840 --> 01:36:18,320
Considering that Egorov's entire fortune is estimated at 5 billion,
1320
01:36:18,320 --> 01:36:21,760
it turns out that he spent more than half of what he’s earned in his entire life
1321
01:36:21,760 --> 01:36:27,180
on a winery in Krinitsa. And then he sold it for 50 million rubles.
1322
01:36:27,180 --> 01:36:32,140
But having given money for the vineyards personally on his own, Yegorov did not stop there.
1323
01:36:32,140 --> 01:36:35,220
Remember the story about Putin’s university friends?
1324
01:36:35,220 --> 01:36:39,660
Along with Yegorov, there were Ilgam Ragimov and Viktor Khmarin.
1325
01:36:39,660 --> 01:36:46,080
In 2015, these three created the company "Investment Solutions" in St. Petersburg.
1326
01:36:46,080 --> 01:36:52,180
And this company also gave another 2 billion loan for a super plant in Krinitsa.
1327
01:36:52,180 --> 01:36:55,280
But this is not the biggest expense of the company of Putin's university friends.
1328
01:36:55,280 --> 01:37:00,860
In 2019, “Investment Solutions” gave 2.4 billion rubles to “Binom”, the owner of the palace.
1329
01:37:00,860 --> 01:37:05,280
And then in 2020, another 2.6 billion, so, 5 billion in total.
1330
01:37:05,280 --> 01:37:10,180
Alas, this money was not enough for the reconstruction and the new underground hockey complex.
1331
01:37:10,180 --> 01:37:17,180
“Binom” also received almost as much, 4.3 billion, from our first hero,
1332
01:37:17,180 --> 01:37:20,400
Putin's colleague in the Dresden KGB, Nikolai Tokarev.
1333
01:37:20,400 --> 01:37:25,860
Or rather, not from Tokarev himself, but from the state company Transneft that he heads.
1334
01:37:25,860 --> 01:37:28,900
The same scheme as for Rosneft and “Lazurnaya Yagoda”.
1335
01:37:28,900 --> 01:37:31,900
A fictitious lease, but on a much larger scale.
1336
01:37:31,900 --> 01:37:35,340
Transneft subsidiaries transfer 120 million a month
1337
01:37:35,340 --> 01:37:39,280
to the account of the palace in Praskoveevka. 120 million.
1338
01:37:39,280 --> 01:37:44,240
Since Transneft is still completely state-owned, they have to make excuses
1339
01:37:44,240 --> 01:37:50,220
for spending such huge sums of money to rent an amphitheater in the village of Praskoveevka.
1340
01:37:50,220 --> 01:37:53,740
Therefore, the head of the company, Nikolai Tokarev, comes here once a year
1341
01:37:53,740 --> 01:37:58,220
to take a photo and pretend that he is holding some kind of working meetings here.
1342
01:37:58,220 --> 01:38:02,300
Only these meetings are not held in the atheneum or in a musical parlor,
1343
01:38:02,300 --> 01:38:08,200
but here - in a specially built camp for staff. Or here, Tokarev gets filmed on the helipad.
1344
01:38:08,200 --> 01:38:14,020
Sure, this is a non-trivial approach to organization of work, which is what we do.
1345
01:38:14,020 --> 01:38:16,480
Many processes had to be run parallely…
1346
01:38:16,480 --> 01:38:20,140
He arrives, poses for the camera, pays the money and leaves.
1347
01:38:20,140 --> 01:38:24,500
In total, 4.3 billion rubles were transferred from the structures of Transneft
1348
01:38:24,500 --> 01:38:27,860
to the account of the company that owns the palace over 3 years.
1349
01:38:27,860 --> 01:38:33,960
Thus, state-owned Transneft is one of the largest sponsors of the construction of Putin's palace.
1350
01:38:33,960 --> 01:38:37,580
Over the past 3 years, only according to the most conservative estimates
1351
01:38:37,580 --> 01:38:42,100
and very incomplete data that we have at our disposal, 35 billion rubles
1352
01:38:42,100 --> 01:38:46,140
have been transferred to the accounts of the palace and vineyards.
1353
01:38:46,140 --> 01:38:49,400
This is the money that is being spent right now on reconstruction,
1354
01:38:49,400 --> 01:38:54,620
on the construction of the winery and on the daily maintenance of this huge economy.
1355
01:38:54,620 --> 01:39:01,640
And we’re not counting the billion dollars that had already been invested in construction by 2017.
1356
01:39:01,640 --> 01:39:06,940
Thus, if you ask for the total price of Putin's palace near Gelendzhik,
1357
01:39:06,940 --> 01:39:10,220
the answer to this question will not be easy to give, because such objects -
1358
01:39:10,220 --> 01:39:15,240
with tunnels carved into the rocks and underground hockey rinks - are simply not for sale.
1359
01:39:15,240 --> 01:39:20,020
But we can estimate the minimum cost - how much money was spent on it.
1360
01:39:20,020 --> 01:39:27,380
In total, it’s already 100 billion rubles. That is why we call it the world's biggest bribe.
1361
01:39:27,380 --> 01:39:32,040
Putin's friends, who received from him the right to steal whatever they wanted in Russia,
1362
01:39:32,040 --> 01:39:37,480
thanked him a lot, but in particular, they chipped in, collected 100 billion rubles
1363
01:39:37,480 --> 01:39:40,560
and built a palace for their boss with this money.
1364
01:39:45,720 --> 01:39:47,900
The Women
1365
01:39:47,900 --> 01:39:52,900
Take another look at this diagram. Sure, it looks complicated
1366
01:39:52,900 --> 01:39:56,440
even for such a difficult undertaking as the secret construction
1367
01:39:56,440 --> 01:39:59,000
of the world's most expensive palace with vineyards.
1368
01:39:59,000 --> 01:40:04,440
But what if I told you that this is just a small part of what really exists?
1369
01:40:04,440 --> 01:40:11,060
Several dozen more companies, offshore and not, that pay for other secret assets
1370
01:40:11,060 --> 01:40:16,020
of Putin and his family using the same money and the same people can be added to the scheme.
1371
01:40:16,020 --> 01:40:21,580
After all, the needs of our humble president are not at all limited to the Black Sea palace.
1372
01:40:21,580 --> 01:40:24,840
What about the relatives? You do not expect that they,
1373
01:40:24,840 --> 01:40:29,080
like some ordinary people, will live on a salary? Everyone needs a place to live.
1374
01:40:29,080 --> 01:40:33,400
Everyone needs a plane. Everyone needs a yacht. All this must be paid for.
1375
01:40:33,400 --> 01:40:37,760
This means that we need a financial scheme and people who will fill this scheme with money.
1376
01:40:37,760 --> 01:40:40,800
This slush fund, the basis of which we have described to you,
1377
01:40:40,800 --> 01:40:44,500
is used by Putin in order to cover the expenses of family members.
1378
01:40:44,500 --> 01:40:48,420
The larger the family, the more the expenses, and Putin -
1379
01:40:48,420 --> 01:40:54,820
as befits a person who imagines himself a monarch - has a rich and eventful personal life.
1380
01:40:54,820 --> 01:41:01,580
Just recently, Proekt Media told us a wonderful story from the life of this deeply religious person,
1381
01:41:01,580 --> 01:41:04,140
the guardian of millennial conservative values.
1382
01:41:04,140 --> 01:41:09,020
It turns out that a certain Svetlana Krivonogikh lives in St. Petersburg.
1383
01:41:09,020 --> 01:41:15,180
Once she was just a pretty young girl, but now she has turned into an incredibly rich woman,
1384
01:41:15,180 --> 01:41:18,460
a shareholder of Rossiya Bank. And no one can understand
1385
01:41:18,460 --> 01:41:23,340
how such happiness fell on Krivonogikh, who once worked as a cleaner.
1386
01:41:23,340 --> 01:41:24,520
Here’s the answer.
1387
01:41:31,780 --> 01:41:37,700
Krivonogikh met Putin in the late 90s, and in 2003, according to Proekt,
1388
01:41:37,700 --> 01:41:39,920
she gave birth to his daughter Elizaveta.
1389
01:41:50,980 --> 01:41:56,420
A few months after that, she became the owner of a 447 m2 apartment,
1390
01:41:56,420 --> 01:42:01,220
having received it from Kovalchuk and other friends of Putin from the “Ozero” dacha cooperative.
1391
01:42:01,220 --> 01:42:04,800
Then there were more apartments, again from Putin's old friends.
1392
01:42:04,800 --> 01:42:08,860
For example, this 197 m2 apartment, 300 meters from the Hermitage,
1393
01:42:08,860 --> 01:42:11,480
was given to the Krivonogikhs by Oleg Rudnov,
1394
01:42:11,480 --> 01:42:17,680
whom the Kommersant newspaper called Putin's friend back in 2005, along with Kovalchuk
1395
01:42:17,680 --> 01:42:20,960
After Krivonogikh gave birth to Putin's child, a bunch of assets
1396
01:42:20,960 --> 01:42:24,400
(including a 3% stake in Rossiya Bank) were registered for her,
1397
01:42:24,400 --> 01:42:29,460
and they are financed from the same scheme that we described to you.
1398
01:42:29,460 --> 01:42:34,000
For example, her companies “Ozone” and “Pulse” receive money from “Accept”.
1399
01:42:34,000 --> 01:42:36,660
“Ozone” owns the Igora resort in the Leningrad region,
1400
01:42:36,660 --> 01:42:40,440
and “Pulse” owns the 40-meter yacht of Svetlana Krinovogikh.
1401
01:42:40,440 --> 01:42:44,800
The offshore company “Forstis”, which gave money for the vineyards in Divnomorskoye,
1402
01:42:44,800 --> 01:42:48,700
also issued loans to another Krivonogikh’s company, “Profit”.
1403
01:42:48,700 --> 01:42:52,960
This company owns the "Leningrad Center" in the Tauride Garden in St. Petersburg.
1404
01:42:52,960 --> 01:42:55,940
Therefore, we can confirm the investigation of Proekt.
1405
01:42:55,940 --> 01:42:58,600
There can be no random women in this scheme.
1406
01:42:58,600 --> 01:43:03,340
This is another example of how Putin's friends steal from the entire country,
1407
01:43:03,340 --> 01:43:07,840
and as a token of gratitude they support Putin's mistress and her child.
1408
01:43:07,840 --> 01:43:10,380
Putin's personal life concerns only him.
1409
01:43:10,380 --> 01:43:13,720
He can even have 20 families if he desires, it’s none of our business.
1410
01:43:13,720 --> 01:43:15,860
We pay attention to something else.
1411
01:43:15,860 --> 01:43:19,940
His tumultuous relationship is paid for by bribes and corruption.
1412
01:43:19,940 --> 01:43:25,500
Get this - there are 20 million beggars in the country, and he buys a yacht for his mistress.
1413
01:43:25,500 --> 01:43:30,080
Forget the yacht, though. Both the yacht and Krivonogich’s apartments look like a trifle
1414
01:43:30,080 --> 01:43:32,760
compared to the funding of the famous gymnast
1415
01:43:32,760 --> 01:43:36,960
and the woman with the most incomprehensible status in Russia, Alina Kabaeva.
1416
01:43:36,960 --> 01:43:41,660
I don’t think it will surprise you if I say that I like them all
1417
01:43:41,660 --> 01:43:45,700
In 2008, a whole newspaper “Moskovsky Korrespondent” was closed down
1418
01:43:45,700 --> 01:43:49,120
because it wrote an article about the relationship between Putin and Kabaeva.
1419
01:43:49,120 --> 01:43:52,400
This is a forbidden topic for everyone, but the truth does not change from this.
1420
01:43:52,400 --> 01:43:57,400
Billions of stolen money are being spent on supporting another woman of Putin.
1421
01:43:57,400 --> 01:44:02,620
We see from the documents that Alina Kabaeva is inseparable from our scheme.
1422
01:44:02,620 --> 01:44:08,180
Alina Kabaeva's grandmother got a 212-meter apartment in St. Petersburg from Gennady Timchenko.
1423
01:44:08,180 --> 01:44:12,600
4 days before that, another person involved in our scheme, or rather his father,
1424
01:44:12,600 --> 01:44:18,320
transferred to the same grandmother two neighboring apartments on the Arbat, 300 m2 each.
1425
01:44:18,320 --> 01:44:23,920
In August 2013, businessman Grigory Baevsky, who can also be called Rotenbergs’ nominee,
1426
01:44:23,920 --> 01:44:28,620
like Ponomarenko, handed half a hectare of land on Rublyovka
1427
01:44:28,620 --> 01:44:32,340
and 2 houses on it (1454 and 1722 m2) to Kabaeva’s grandmother.
1428
01:44:32,340 --> 01:44:36,200
And after 5 years, the neighboring land plot was bought by Kabaeva herself.
1429
01:44:36,200 --> 01:44:41,160
I mean, a former gymnast has been appointed the country's chief media manager.
1430
01:44:41,160 --> 01:44:44,540
She is the chairman of the board of directors of National Media Group.
1431
01:44:44,540 --> 01:44:48,020
This structure belongs to the main holder of Putin's money, Kovalchuk.
1432
01:44:48,020 --> 01:44:51,660
She owns almost half of the major media outlets in Russia.
1433
01:44:51,660 --> 01:44:55,160
And there is no dispute: Alina Maratovna Kabaeva is the best in the world
1434
01:44:55,160 --> 01:44:58,920
at jumping with a ball and a ribbon, but she would not have been able
1435
01:44:58,920 --> 01:45:03,960
to manage television companies and newspapers if not for her connection with Putin.
1436
01:45:10,140 --> 01:45:17,820
After all, just her official salary from Kovalchuk in 2018 was 785 million rubles.
1437
01:45:17,820 --> 01:45:23,520
But do not think that Alina Maratovna and her relatives only receive these apartments and money.
1438
01:45:23,520 --> 01:45:29,260
They give back too. Here is a touching document we found. A real document of the era.
1439
01:45:29,260 --> 01:45:32,900
This is a registry extract for a relatively small apartment in Sochi.
1440
01:45:32,900 --> 01:45:36,740
Alina's grandmother bought it in 2011. And six years later,
1441
01:45:36,740 --> 01:45:40,620
the apartment became the property of Mikhail Shelomov, a relative of Putin.
1442
01:45:40,620 --> 01:45:44,020
Consolidation of joint property is underway, so to speak.
1443
01:45:44,020 --> 01:45:48,280
That is, the registry extract for this apartment is the only document in history so far
1444
01:45:48,280 --> 01:45:52,580
where both families - of Alina Kabaeva and of Vladimir Putin - appear together.
1445
01:45:52,580 --> 01:45:57,680
Today, I have confidence in my future. I will go to the elections on December 2
1446
01:45:57,680 --> 01:46:05,520
and vote for “United Russia” and the person who gave me this confidence, Vladimir Putin.
1447
01:46:05,520 --> 01:46:09,580
However, the life of a polygamist brings not only pleasure, but also problems.
1448
01:46:09,580 --> 01:46:14,100
And the song known to everyone in our country, seems to be directly dedicated to Vladimir Putin.
1449
01:46:14,100 --> 01:46:17,260
Remember: "Three wives are wonderful, what you can say,
1450
01:46:17,260 --> 01:46:19,880
But on the other hand - I've got three mothers-in-law!”
1451
01:46:19,880 --> 01:46:23,620
That's not so bad to have three wives,
1452
01:46:23,620 --> 01:46:27,240
But it's much worse on the other hand!
1453
01:46:27,240 --> 01:46:31,760
After all, Putin also has three mother-in-laws. At least three. Fortunately for our national leader,
1454
01:46:31,760 --> 01:46:36,800
he has what the heroes of the film "Kidnapping, Caucasian Style" lacked: Gazprom.
1455
01:46:36,800 --> 01:46:40,800
Gazprom used to have a subsidiary called “Teplo Invest”.
1456
01:46:40,800 --> 01:46:45,500
Formally, it was engaged in operating all sorts of small boiler houses, pipes, cable lines.
1457
01:46:45,500 --> 01:46:48,800
A small structure, it doesn't even exist anymore, it was liquidated.
1458
01:46:48,800 --> 01:46:55,100
But somehow, before liquidation, this company bought several super-elite apartments
1459
01:46:55,100 --> 01:46:58,060
in the most expensive part of Moscow, the Ostozhenka area.
1460
01:46:58,060 --> 01:47:03,140
In 2014, “Teplo Invest” became the owner of a 260 m2 apartment
1461
01:47:03,140 --> 01:47:08,620
in this building on Prechistenka and 220 m2 one in this one, in Molochny Pereulok.
1462
01:47:08,620 --> 01:47:11,580
These are very, very expensive apartments.
1463
01:47:11,580 --> 01:47:15,700
And within a year after the purchase, one of the apartments, the more expensive one,
1464
01:47:15,700 --> 01:47:19,620
went to the mother of Alina Kabaeva, Lyubov Mikhailovna Kabaeva,
1465
01:47:19,620 --> 01:47:22,840
and the second, a little more modest one - to the mother of Svetlana Krivonogikh.
1466
01:47:22,840 --> 01:47:27,880
Remember what Gazprom says in its ads? National treasure.
1467
01:47:27,880 --> 01:47:29,620
I think they need to change the slogan.
1468
01:47:29,620 --> 01:47:34,360
Gazprom: Using the national treasure to support Putin's mother-in-laws!
1469
01:47:34,360 --> 01:47:39,880
The great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy once very clearly described the structure of power in Russia:
1470
01:47:39,880 --> 01:47:42,240
The villains who robbed the people gathered together,
1471
01:47:42,240 --> 01:47:46,160
recruited soldiers and judges to guard their orgy, and are feasting.
1472
01:47:46,160 --> 01:47:52,140
This brilliant phrase still precisely describes what is happening in our country.
1473
01:47:52,140 --> 01:47:56,840
The villains robbed the people. They recruited judges, the National Guard and FSB officers
1474
01:47:56,840 --> 01:48:01,180
to guard their palaces, while they themselves sit and play in their personal casinos,
1475
01:48:01,180 --> 01:48:03,880
surrounded by wives, mistresses and children.
1476
01:48:03,880 --> 01:48:07,260
And they will never voluntarily leave power.
1477
01:48:07,260 --> 01:48:11,100
The stupidest phrase that you often hear sounds like this:
1478
01:48:11,100 --> 01:48:13,220
“Well, these have already stolen enough.
1479
01:48:13,220 --> 01:48:16,160
Leave them be, or new ones will come and start stealing again”.
1480
01:48:16,160 --> 01:48:20,060
You can clearly see that there’ll never have enough. On the contrary.
1481
01:48:20,060 --> 01:48:26,540
More money is constantly needed. Even if your salary is raised from 30 to 45 thousand rubles,
1482
01:48:26,540 --> 01:48:29,060
it’s still not enough for you. It’s the same with them.
1483
01:48:29,060 --> 01:48:34,160
Buy this yacht, buy this apartment. The palace was built, but the pipe burst, it needs to be redone.
1484
01:48:34,160 --> 01:48:37,120
And the contractor asks for more. And the children are growing up.
1485
01:48:37,120 --> 01:48:40,580
And everyone needs their own house. And then Putin's daughter gets married
1486
01:48:40,580 --> 01:48:43,900
and her husband must be made the youngest billionaire in Russia,
1487
01:48:43,900 --> 01:48:47,400
otherwise she will make a scene. And the eldest daughter also has a husband.
1488
01:48:47,400 --> 01:48:51,020
And Krivonogikh's daughter is already an adult, soon a separate yacht will be needed.
1489
01:48:51,020 --> 01:48:54,680
And then the grandchildren will grow up. And everyone has colossal appetites.
1490
01:48:54,680 --> 01:48:58,080
And that's just Putin. But there’s still Medvedev, and all the ministers,
1491
01:48:58,080 --> 01:49:02,260
and these Millers, Rothenbergs, Kovalchuks and Timchenkos.
1492
01:49:02,260 --> 01:49:06,280
They will never have enough. On the contrary, they will steal more and more.
1493
01:49:06,280 --> 01:49:13,000
Until the whole country is ruined. Russia is still selling oil, gas, metals, fertilizers, timber
1494
01:49:13,000 --> 01:49:16,960
in huge quantities, and the income of the population keeps declining.
1495
01:49:16,960 --> 01:49:20,920
Because Putin has a palace, and Kabaeva, and Krivonogikh.
1496
01:49:20,920 --> 01:49:25,100
And each smaller official has his own palace and his own Kabaeva.
1497
01:49:25,100 --> 01:49:31,920
We will live normally only when we stop tolerating officials who steal and re-electing them.
1498
01:49:31,920 --> 01:49:34,360
And if they refuse to hold fair elections,
1499
01:49:34,360 --> 01:49:38,860
then we’ll take to the streets and remove them from power in this way.
1500
01:49:38,860 --> 01:49:41,600
This is what distinguishes poor countries from rich ones.
1501
01:49:41,600 --> 01:49:45,560
In rich countries, people take to the streets at the slightest indignation,
1502
01:49:45,560 --> 01:49:49,860
and officials are afraid of this. In poor countries, people tolerate all this,
1503
01:49:49,860 --> 01:49:54,180
and officials hold referendums to extend their powers.
1504
01:49:54,180 --> 01:49:58,660
And they say: wait a little longer. We've only been in power for 20 years.
1505
01:49:58,660 --> 01:50:03,440
Just look at what they do. Every day there are new laws prohibiting criticism of the authorities.
1506
01:50:03,440 --> 01:50:07,080
All who are dissatisfied are foreign agents. It is already forbidden
1507
01:50:07,080 --> 01:50:11,880
to even campaign for candidates in the elections that you like and criticize “United Russia”.
1508
01:50:11,880 --> 01:50:16,880
Putin and his group of thieves want life-long and uncontrolled power.
1509
01:50:16,880 --> 01:50:21,440
We have reached the point where it is no longer a group of people who rob the state,
1510
01:50:21,440 --> 01:50:24,940
but the state itself has turned into an instrument of theft.
1511
01:50:24,940 --> 01:50:28,740
The FSO and National Guard guard the palaces. The judges jail the dissatisfied.
1512
01:50:28,740 --> 01:50:31,220
The FSB has created a group of murderers
1513
01:50:31,220 --> 01:50:34,540
whose task is simply to kill those who refuse to remain silent.
1514
01:50:34,540 --> 01:50:38,880
But the good news is that there are still many, many more of us.
1515
01:50:38,880 --> 01:50:43,400
Putin and everyone who guards him, steals for him, falsifies elections for him -
1516
01:50:43,400 --> 01:50:48,100
these are several hundred thousand people. And there are tens of millions of us.
1517
01:50:48,100 --> 01:50:50,160
We just do not believe in our strength.
1518
01:50:50,160 --> 01:50:55,080
If everyone who watches this video shares it, we will tear the censorship to shreds.
1519
01:50:55,080 --> 01:51:00,380
If 10% of the disaffected take to the streets, they will not dare to falsify the elections.
1520
01:51:00,380 --> 01:51:04,980
If each of us registers and participates in the “Smart Voting”,
1521
01:51:04,980 --> 01:51:10,140
then Putin's party of theft and degradation “United Russia” will lose the elections,
1522
01:51:10,140 --> 01:51:16,140
political competition will begin and the quality of politics and officials will begin to improve.
1523
01:51:16,140 --> 01:51:19,020
Fair courts and normal prosecutors will appear.
1524
01:51:19,020 --> 01:51:22,520
Stealing on such a scale as now will become impossible.
1525
01:51:22,520 --> 01:51:26,060
And step by step, we will start living better and richer.
1526
01:51:26,060 --> 01:51:30,580
All we have to do is stop being patient. Stop waiting.
1527
01:51:30,580 --> 01:51:35,500
Stop wasting your life and your taxes on enriching these people.
1528
01:51:35,500 --> 01:51:42,180
Our future is in our hands. Do not be silent. Don't agree to obey the feasting villains.
1529
01:51:42,180 --> 01:51:45,420
Subscribe to our channel, we tell the truth here.
1530
01:51:45,420 --> 01:51:49,740
Help us share this investigation. They won’t show this on TV
1531
01:51:49,740 --> 01:52:05,060
Thanks to everyone who investigates Putin’s corruption
1532
01:52:05,060 --> 01:52:08,500
The Anti-Corruption Foundation was labelled as a foreign agent.
1533
01:52:08,500 --> 01:52:12,120
We don’t agree with this. This was done to obstruct our activities
1534
01:52:12,120 --> 01:52:23,980
Support us: donate.fbk.info
1535
01:52:23,980 --> 01:52:30,000
Investigation and screenplay: Alexey Navalny, Maria Pevchikh, Georgy Alburov
1536
01:52:30,000 --> 01:52:37,160
[30] Video production: Kira Yarmysh, Alexandra Dubrovskaya, Vitaly Kolesnikov, Alexander Lebedinsky, Yaroslav Mudryakov
1537
01:52:37,160 --> 01:52:39,160
[37] Art director: Varvara Mikhailova
1538
01:52:39,160 --> 01:52:43,640
[39] IT decisions: Vyacheslav Romantsov
169611
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