A massive residence on the Black Sea in Russia that is shrouded in secrecy is claimed to belong to President Vladimir Putin.
The outrageous estate is alleged to have cost €1.24 billion and is said to sit on 183 acres with an adjacent 70 square km plot of land - which is larger than the island of Manhattan.
The astonishing scale and luxury of the property was revealed in 2021 when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Anti Corruption Foundation released an investigative documentary on it. The video currently has more than 122 million views on YouTube.
Putin has denied that the palace belongs to him, with the Kremlin saying that it is a private venture owned by various businessmen, however that has not stopped speculation that it could belong to Putin.
The almost two-hour YouTube investigation reveals the property has an underground hockey rink with helicopter pads on top of it, a Las Vegas-style casino, an ‘aqua-discotheque’ with a swim-up bar, a special room to play with toy cars and an indoor go-kart track.
The master bedroom is said to be nearly 2,800 square foot, with more than a dozen guest bedrooms near the suite.
Outside it is claimed there is a gigantic church, an amphitheatre, a sculpture garden and an industrial size ‘greenhouse’ said to be tended by 40 gardeners.
In his video report, Navalny says that near the main structure there is a 260-foot bridge that leads to a 27,000-square-foot guest house which features 11 guest bedrooms and several living areas.
One of the most bizarre reported features of the main residence is that it is said to have huge separate kitchens - one for meat, one for fish, one for vegetables, and one for baked goods.
As well as the documentary, allies of the currently imprisoned Navalny have published hundreds of photos of what they say is the inside of the 'secret palace'.
