Russian President Vladimir Putin created a secretive “tsar village” for his daughters and ex-wife in an upscale Moscow neighborhood, according to one report.
An investigation by the independent Russian outlet Proekt alleged that Putin used secret offshore companies to buy land and lavish properties for his daughters.
The revelations were reportedly based on emails between Putin’s youngest daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, and her ex-husband Kirill Shamalov, the son of a friend of Putin’s.
The four mansions and Putin’s residence, the Novo-Ogarevo estate, lie along the Rublevka highway, an affluent neighborhood that is home to a number of oligarchs, government officials, celebrities and magnates.
Two houses east of Novo-Ogarevo are said to have been purchased in 2006 by the Cypriot company Ermira.
The four mansions and Putin’s residence, the Novo-Ogarevo estate, lie along the Rublevka highway, an affluent neighborhood that is home to a number of oligarchs, government officials, celebrities and magnates
Previously leaked emails between Putin’s youngest daughter Katerina Tikhonova (pictured) and her ex-husband have revealed details about the Russian leader’s ‘tsar village’
The property in the Usovo-Plyus settlement, worth an estimated 350 million rubles (£3.5 million), was for the use of Maria Vorontsova, 38, Putin’s eldest daughter (pictured)
Officially, the company is owned by a Russian lawyer, but sources told Proyekt that it actually belonged to Putin.
The property in the Usovo-Plyus settlement, valued at an estimated 350 million rubles (£3.5 million), was for the use of Maria Vorontsova, 38, Putin’s eldest daughter, after her marriage to a Dutch businessman, said Project.
Tikhonova is said to have had access to a spa, a library and an “acrobatics room” as she has previously participated in acrobatic dance competitions.
During communications between Tikhonova and Shamalov, they talked about renovations estimated to be worth $9 million, including a $120,000 bar with a marble surround and a $72,000 gold-plated chandelier.
It is also alleged that Putin himself lives with his mistress Alina Kabaeva, 40, a former Olympic gymnast, and their young family.
The Kremlin has not commented on the Proekt investigation that came to light in June 2023.
The research itself suggests that while Tikhonova and Shamalov married in a church ceremony in front of a priest, they had no registered civil marriage, so there would be no trace of property related to Putin’s daughter.
Others with close ties to Putin also reportedly use several other palaces across Russia as the country’s leader continues to fear for his own personal safety amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The house of Putin’s first wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva, and her new husband, was handed over to them by Shamalov after his breakup with Tikhonova.
However, it is not clear that his rumored love child Luiza Rozova – born of his former mistress Svetlana Krivonogikh – has a mansion in the so-called ‘tsar village’.
Ms Rozova has disappeared since war with Ukraine broke out in early 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his then-wife Lyudmila Putin (pictured) at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. They announced their divorce in July 2013
Vladimir Putin reportedly lives with his Olympic gold-winning gymnast Alina Kabaeva
The revelations of his lavish properties come as Putin reportedly prepares to seek six more years at the Kremlin in an attempt to extend his already 23-year reign as Russia’s president or prime minister.
There will be elections next year – and Putin would be 77 if he served another full term as Russia’s president.
A campaign announcement from Putin may be made early amid suspicions that Wagner’s 62-year-old mercenary army boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has strong political ambitions and will try to run.
Putin has been the president of Russia since 1999, except for a four-year stint as prime minister from 2008-2012.