Vladimir Putin on $1.7bn palace: ‘I don’t own it, never did’

Vladimir Putin has rubbished claims that he is the secret owner of a $1.7bn palace on the coast of the Black Sea.

The Black Sea property Vladimir Putin is alleged to own. Picture: AFP

Vladimir Putin has rubbished claims that he is the secret owner of a $1.7bn palace on the coast of the Black Sea as he tries to quell the rising public anger that has ­fuelled nationwide protests.

Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny ­released an online video last week detailing the elaborate scheme he said was used to funnel illicit funds, including money meant for healthcare, into the construction of the palace. The video has drawn 87 million views in six days; almost three times the number of people who watched the President’s New Year’s Eve address.

“Nothing that is listed there as my property belongs to me or my close relatives, and never did,” Mr Putin, 68, told university students by video link on Tuesday AEDT.

He did not identify the owner of the palace nor comment on ­reports that it is guarded by state security services. “This is boring, girls,” he said, quoting a line from The Twelve Chairs, a Soviet-era novel. He said the video was aimed at brainwashing Russians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: AFP

Mr Navalny alleged the ownership of the palace, which boasts a vineyard, a zoo, an ice rink and a private tunnel to the sea, had been masked by its sale to a Kremlin-linked businessman, described as a “legal illusion”.

Artists impression inside the Black Sea palace. Picture: Alexei Navalny/Youtube

He recorded the video while recovering in Germany from a nerve agent poisoning that he said was ordered by Mr Putin. It was released by his allies after his ­arrest on January 17 on his return to Russia. He faces more than 13 years in prison over parole violations and embezzlement allegations that he says are politically motivated.

Protests in support of Mr ­Navalny swept Russia on Saturday, prompting a heavy-handed crackdown that was condemned by Western countries. Riot police arrested more than 3700 people.

The EU said on Tuesday that it might impose fresh sanctions on Russia if Mr Navalny was not ­released next month.

Russia has accused the US of backing the protests. US ­ambassador John Sullivan was summoned to the foreign ministry on Tuesday.

Mr Putin’s denial was seen by many as evidence that Mr Navalny’s report has touched a nerve in the Kremlin. “The very fact that Putin commented is an indirect recognition of the righteousness of the people’s anger,” political analyst ­Tatiana Stanovaya.

Mr Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told state television that the allegations were “pure lies” aimed at discrediting the President.

TV program presenter Dmitry Kiselyov claimed Mr Navalny’s investigation had been prepared by Western intelligence services.

“Putin doesn’t need this kind of life of luxury,” he told viewers. “And Putin is definitely not into lavatory brushes” — a reference to claims that a single toilet brush cost $1060.

The Times