Inside Vladimir Putin’s $285 billion luxury life with secret palaces, yachts, girlfriends and millionaires

Secretly living like a king, Putin has added another sprawling palace that’s double the size of Buckingham Palace to a multibillion-dollar empire.

Vladimir Putin is believed to have boosted his £1 billion (A$1.78 billion) property empire with a new £200 million (A$356.6 million) palace – amid reports he is secretly one of the richest men in the world.

The imposing pile has been built in a highly-secure “billionaire’s village” on the outskirts of Moscow and is surrounded in total secrecy, reports Russian newspaper Sobesednik.

Russia’s hardman leader is reported to be worth £160 billion (A$285 billion) and is said to live like a king on his extraordinary wealth.

RELATED: Putin’s glamorous love child slams ‘lies’

Vladimir Putin is reported to have bought a new palace.

His critics claim he has amassed a huge personal fortune and owns a fleet of yachts, cars and secret presidential palaces.

Putin always talks down his wealth – claiming to enjoy a relatively modest state wage of around £100,000 (A$178,000)

However, experts say he is really 60 times richer than US President Donald Trump.

Political critic Boris Nemtsov compiled a dossier that alleged Putin even has four yachts secretly docked around Russia.

RELATED: Putin’s secret ‘love child’ with cleaner

The substantial pile is nearly twice the size of Buckingham Palace.

He also claimed Putin has 43 planes, 7000 cars and 15 helicopters – including an Illyshin jet with a £50,000 (A$89,000) gold toilet.

Nemtsov added Russia’s leader even has a watch collection worth some £500,000 (A$891,500) – including one that is £300,000 (A$535,000) alone.

RELATED: Reports Putin will stand down next year

The Russian leader is said to have “secret girlfriends” including Russian gymnast Alina Kabayeva. Picture: AFP

Putin’s “secret girlfriends” also have more than a few rubles in the bank, say reports.

Svetlana Krivonogikh – said to be the mother of Vlad’s lovechild – is a cleaner-turned-millionaire who owns a popular nightspot.

RELATED: Putin’s rumoured mistress vanishes

The imposing pile has been built in a highly-secure ‘billionaire’s village’.

And his “gymnast lover” is earning millions a year as a pro-Kremlin media boss, according to reports of leaked tax records.

Former Olympic gold medallist Alina Kabaeva is said to pocket a salary of £7.78 million (A$13.9 million), claimed a recent expose.

Putin’s “latest home” measures 123,785 square feet (37.7km) – which is nearly double the size of Buckingham Palace.

The palace has multiple helicopter landing pads and its own vineyard.

The “classical style” palace was owned by a company called Property-V during its construction, with the newspaper suggesting the ‘V’ stands for Vladimir.

The report concludes that the sprawling estate must belong to an important individual with only the highest Kremlin connections.

The sumptuous residence is listed as belonging to the Russian Federation, which the report claims is a “cover” used by “owners of palaces and penthouses associated with the country’s leadership”.

The palace is said to be twice the size of Buckingham Palace.

The report suggests the property is either Putin’s or belongs to someone exceptionally close to him.

So far there has been no response from Putin’s spokesman to the Sobesednik claims, the latest in a series of “revelations” on his wealth, health and private life in recent weeks.

The reports have led to suggestions the Russian leader is under an unprecedented “information attack” from foes.

The Russian president is said to be one of the world’s wealthiest people with wealth said to be around $285 billion. Picture: Alexey Nikolsky / Sputnik / AFP

The recently completed palace is at Greenfield village, which offers “a new standard of country life” with “impeccable style of elite suburban life and the independence of serene nature”, according to publicity blurb.

It comprises “stately residences, reminiscent of country castles”, and is home to a number of billionaires.

Putin’s properties are often in remote locations.

The village boasts “beautiful parks and boulevards 24 metres wide … fountains, sculptures, flower beds” and is surrounded by “vast forests”.

Before the palace’s construction was complete the village was said to house the “most expensive house in Russia”, owned by Jordanian billionaire.

The new palace may be worth some £202 million (A$360.2 million), reports the newspaper.

Andrey Ertman, representative of the company which was constructing the palace, refused to name the owner “hiding under the pseudonym ‘Russian Federation’”, said the newspaper.

“This is confidential information. Buyers of such assets do not always strive for publicity. This is their right,” he explained.

Companies tied to the new palace and its financing are closely linked to the Russian elite and other stunning properties, it is claimed.

Multiple properties have been linked to Putin in recent years – with some saying he now owns homes worth more than a £1 billion (A$1.78 billion).

The new palace may be worth around $360 million.

One is a gigantic £800 million (A$1.4 billion) Black Sea pile called the Gelendzhik Palace complete with helicopter landing pads and its own vineyard.

Originally conceived as a modest holiday house with a swimming pool, it now boasts a magnificent columned facade reminiscent of the country palaces Russian tsars built in the 18th Century.

The massive wrought-iron gates into the courtyard are topped with a golden imperial eagle.

Outside are formal gardens, a private theatre, a landing pad with bays for three helicopters, and accommodation for security guards.

The Russian leader claims to live a modest lifestyle.

In 2017, it was also reported Putin had bought himself a lavish holiday home with gold-plated tiles in the swimming pool just a few miles from Russia’s border with the West.

Villa Sellgren is built on an island in the Vyborg Bay, around 19km from the Russian border with Finland.

Officially it belongs to close friends of the Kremlin but locals say it is the latest prestige home in a stunning property portfolio rumoured to be Putin’s.

Putin rubs shoulder with Alexander Lukashenko, the first and only president of Belarus.

He is also said to own a dacha close to St Petersburg, and an Altai Mountains retreat officially belonging to Gazprom as well as apartments in Moscow.

Another official residence is located in the Novgorod Region, and goes by three different names: Valdai, Uzhyn, and Dolgie Borody.

The residence was initially planned as one of Stalin’s dachas, but he thought it too dangerous.

In the 1930s the residence was the only building on a small peninsula and was surrounded by dense forest, with only one escape route to the mainland.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission