New joint investigation returns to ‘Putin’s palace’ with hidden camera for updated tour of Russian president’s billion-dollar hideout
A joint investigation from the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and Proekt has revealed new developments in Vladimir Putin’s so-called “palace” on the Black Sea coast near Gelendzhik, in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The construction of the Italianate palace complex first came to the public’s attention in 2010 through an open letter sent to then-President Dmitry Medvedev from whistleblower Sergey Kolesnikov. In January 2021, Alexey Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation returned the billion-dollar property to the spotlight in a documentary film that has now been viewed on YouTube more than 132 million times. For its latest report, FBK obtained four hours of hidden-cam videos recorded inside the palace by “our brave agent,” the foundation says. The new footage reveals never-before-seen details inside the complex and several remodeling changes carried out after Navalny’s bombshell investigation three years ago.