UPDATE 1-Putin s former judo partner claims he owns palace linked to Russian leader Reuters 1/30/2021
By Gleb Stolyarov
MOSCOW, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Russian businessman Arkady Rotenberg said on Saturday he owns a huge palace in southern Russia which jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny has linked to President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny and his anti-corruption foundation have published a video in which they allege the opulent mansion belonged to the Russian leader. The video has been viewed more than 103 million times.
Rotenberg, Putin s former judo sparring partner who sold his stake in gas pipeline construction firm Stroygazmontazh in 2019 for a sum which the RBC business daily put at 75 billion roubles ($990 million), said he bought the palace two years ago.