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.
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Kremlin-Aligned Media Confirms ‘Putin Palace’ Still Under Construction Jan. 29, 2021 Video published by the Mash Telegram channel Friday showed its chief editor being escorted inside the marble palace teeming with construction. palace.navalny.com
A Kremlin-loyal news outlet has gained access to the Black Sea palace that jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny links to President Vladimir Putin, confirming his claims that the property had to be gutted and rebuilt due to design flaws.
Video published by the Mash Telegram channel Friday showed its chief editor being escorted inside the marble palace teeming with construction.
“The location is one slab of concrete,” Mash chief editor Maxim Iksanov says in the six-minute clip, appearing to contradict Navalny’s claims of the marble palace’s luxurious interior in a viral video investigation.