The object near Gelendzhik, which the people call the Putinās palace , received wide publicity and widespread public outcry at the end of 2010, when Sergei Kolesnikov, who was Putinās partner and then suddenly became his opponent, published an open letter in the press to the then president of Russia Medvedev. However, even earlier Putinās Gelendzhik dacha provoked protests by local residents, especially representatives of the Ecological Watch in the North Caucasus, a movement to preserve the natural resources of the region.
But time passes, water flows in the river, passions gradually subside. Nowadays, the residence on Cape Idokopas does not surprise anyone. People have already come to terms with the fact that on the Black Sea coast, in one of its most beautiful and reserved corners, which were once the property of the country, a private property plot has appeared, and now mere mortals must not only be there, even pass by. We invite you to visit there virtually to appreciate the fabulous beauty of those places and see the conditions in which modern nouveau riches relax.
Location
The small village of Praskoveevka (Gelendzhik district), once founded by fugitive Greeks, and now has become home to people of different nationalities, has only three and a half hundred inhabitants. Nobody would have remembered about him, if not for the grandiose construction that had begun near him in 2005. The village is located on the Janhot River. It is more than 12 km from Gelendzhik. Since the Greeks were runaway, they decided to build their Praskoveevka not in full view, but in the middle of the forest, 4 km from the nearest village of Dzhanhot and 4.7 km from the sea coast. Now this small town has three sights:
- The Church of St. John the Baptist, built at the end of the 19th century.
- Sandstone rock, which for its unique appearance was called Sail.
- Luxury residence, however, hidden from the eyes of the people.
Where is Putin's cottage
The scandalously famous object began to be erected not in Praskoveevka itself, but 4.6 km from its outskirts, on Cape Idokopas. It is located in the Molokanova Slit - a picturesque corner of the coast where the Pitsunda pine tree recorded in the Red Book grows . The Molokans lived in this area. In the 19th century, these people left their homes, but the name of the area has been preserved. The gap is limited by the rivers Dzhanhot and Pshada, on which stands the village of Krinitsa. The river Azmashah flows through its territory. Near its mouth is Cape Idokopas. Although Putinās cottage is quite secluded and not close to the settlements, her address is: the city of Gelendzhik, the district of Praskoveevka.
Compromising S. Kolesnikov
Putin, before his presidency, headed the Committee on Foreign Economic Relations in St. Petersburg. With his participation, the Petromed company was established, which was engaged in the supply of medical equipment to Russia. The director of the company was Putin's friend D.V. Gorelov, deputy Sergey Kolesnikov, and the Committee, headed by Putin, became the main founder with 51% of the shares. Things were going well with the company. In 2000, Shamalov N.T., a longtime friend of now President Putin, offered Petromed an interesting deal: rich people donate money (millions) to Russian healthcare, some of these funds are actually used for their intended purpose, and 35% are deposited in an offshore company, managed by Shamalov.
As a result of such fraud, Petromeda gained millions in profits. None of the partner friends quarreled at that time and thought. But only 10 years passed, and Kolesnikov rolled up an open letter, telling the whole world that Putinās cottage was illegally built on public money in Praskoveevka. As the truth-seeker explained, the reason for his act was anxiety for the fatherland. But it was not without financial background.
Passion around the "little house"
In 2005, an agreement was signed with the Presidential Administration on the construction of a small house (as Mr. Kolesnikov says) on the Black Sea coast, worth only 16 million dollars. e. An architect of this diva was a certain Lanfranco Chirillo, then an Italian, who came to Moscow with one small bag in his hands. As the construction progressed, ideas were born to attach an elevator to the house, descending to the beach, an individual gas pipeline and power lines, several roads.
Further more. An amphitheater, a winter theater, and several helicopter landing sites began to be built next to the house, that is, Putinās palace on the Black Sea gradually began to take on a form appropriate to its status. All this required money. According to Chirillo, engineering alone cost 9 million. S. Kolesnikov said that the funds were taken both for the construction and medical equipment from one pocket, and for the time being everything went peacefully. But in Russia, the crisis of 2008-2009 hit. It was necessary to choose where to spend the money.
Shamalov chose and informed Kolesnikov about the closure of all his medical projects, since it was impossible to close the construction site. As a result, hospitals did not receive important medical equipment, thousands of people were left without a piece of bread, and offended Kolesnikov flew to America. There, he went to the Washington Post with his revelatory letter. But just like that they did not publish it, demanding reliable documents. Since the letter still appeared in the press, the documents were not only found, but they were meticulously checked by lawyers.
Who lives in the house?
I must say that the residence on Cape Idokopas belongs to Putin only by talking, and the presidentās press secretary actively refutes these gossip. Yes, at first the customerās committee was the Presidentās Affairs Committee, and it was not going to build a summer house there, but a boarding house. Later, N. Shamalov, faithful to Putin, took over this property, the control over the construction of which he also exercised. In 2011, a noise arose around the cottage, and journalists and activists went to the scene. Security (PSC and FSO) detained them, confiscated their property, and adventurers were nearly sent to jail.
Then Shamalov quickly sold the cottage to A. Ponomarenko, co-owner of the Novorossiysk port, having received 350,000,000 from it. e. The new owner did not become familiar and, so that Putinās dacha in Praskoveevka would not be idle, he began to lease some of its 20 buildings. He earned on this 35 million a month, though not dollars, but rubles. In March 2015, Ponomarenko transferred the expensive property to LLC Complex, owned by an offshore company of the British Virgin Islands. This "Complex", according to documents, has owned land around the country for two years, now it has taken everything in its entirety.
At the end of the same 2015, he additionally received for use two neighboring plots, one in 254 hectares, the other in 290.8 hectares, and put them up for auction. For 25 years they were rented by the South Citadel company. In addition, she bought two more huge tracts of land from Divnomorsky to Idokopas, thereby closing access to the cottage from the sea. So, according to the documents, it is not Putin who owns the residence. And the roads to the palace belong to the FSB Border Administration.
Where to get a million to the country?
The all-seeing Reuters news agency conducted its investigation and found out that the nth part of the funds that Putinās dacha was built in in Praskoveevka was taken from the accounts of the National Health Fund. Further, by agreement with the poor (as he calls himself) millionaire - the architect Chirillo, many fabulously expensive materials, furniture, accessories, etc. were bought for cash, bypassing tax services (there are confirming records of conversations between Chirillo and Shamalov).
As they say, the architect precisely for such zeal in work became a citizen of Russia, and also received a luxurious villa on the seashore. Another way to find cash reserves was to bring, for example, marble at a cost of several million, and in the bill appeared sand for a couple of tens of thousands. S. Kolesnikov told about these frauds.
How it all began
In already distant 2005, the first asphalt road was laid from the village of Dzhanhot to Praskoveevskaya Bay. Across the Azmashah river, the pass also began to improve the entrance, for which the existing road was expanded. A solid fence with barbed wire was placed above the slope. An announcement was posted on it that the construction of a children's sports and recreation camp was underway, and due to unfavorable sanitary conditions, the Molokanova gap was closed for vacationers. Then, centuries-old hornbeams and oaks, powerful Pitsunda pines in several girths grew on the cape. Later, in order for Putin's dacha to appear in Praskoveevka, forty-five hectares of forests were killed, and the damage amounted to more than 27,000,000 rubles.
How are things now
Now the residence on Cape Idokopas is jealously guarded. Each of its locations can be determined by the power transmission poles running along the brand new highway and through the preserved forest in Praskoveevka. But to get to the cottage, or at least look at it through the fence, will not work. The path to the residence leads through the bridge, which is blocked by a security barrier and reinforced concrete blocks. Behind the bridge you can see military equipment. The path to the public beach is still formally open, but along the road to it the bushes are surrounded by barbed wire. Behind a small patch of beach, a territory enclosed by a high wall, entry to it is strictly prohibited. If you dare to penetrate the fence, in the thicket you can see a wide tunnel in which the car can freely pass. They say he leads into the country. It is impossible to make out from the sea, only from the sky. On the shore of the residence, a pier for Putin's yacht was built, behind it again a blank wall. A little off the FSB security post.
Infrastructure
Itās hard to say how much Putinās dacha costs. According to some reports, even without a final finish, more than a billion dollars were spent on it. e. 87 hectares of coastline and forest land were allocated for it. The palace itself was erected on this square - an Italian-style building (it was not without reason that it was designed by a former Italian). It has a quadrangular shape, a courtyard with columns, enfilades, fountains and chic landscape design. Outside, the palace is built on 2 floors, but, they say, there are 2 more floors underground, as well as an underground parking. From the palace, alleys lead to the amphitheater and the entrances to the elevators that go down to the sea. Bungalows are located behind the amphitheater, next to the sports complex with pools. Further inland, three sites for helicopters and a radio tower were built. Further away are the technical structures and buildings where the staff lives.
Interior decoration
Putin's dacha in Praskoveevka is certainly a real palace. How many rooms are there, few know, but they do not reveal secrets. You can evaluate their decoration by the photo published on the Internet. The palace floors are made of marble lined with patterns, chic furniture with gilded legs, painted ceilings, huge chandeliers. In one of the bedrooms there is a four-poster bed; in one of the living rooms there is exclusive Italian furniture worth several million. The walls of the rooms are decorated with paintings, and only with originals, the bathrooms have a jacuzzi. In luxury, the palace resembles the apartments of Queen Catherine II. The apotheosis is the golden double-headed eagle on the gate.
How many dachas do Putin have
In addition to the scandalous residence near Gelendzhik, the Russian president has 20 (according to other sources 30) residences throughout Russia and one palace near Paris, the construction of which took more than 30 million euros. But documented, Putin has nothing, only two modest apartments and two garages. All of his chic summer cottages are decorated either by dummies, or appear under the jurisdiction of the Presidential Administration. They are used not only to relax Putin, but also to receive the heads of other countries. The question of what will happen to all this real estate if Vladimir Vladimirovich suddenly leaves the presidency remains open.