Putin's former aide says he owns palace which opposition links to Russian president
Vladimir Putin
A Russian businessman has said he owns the huge palace in southern Russia, which jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny links to President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president has already denied ownership of the palace.
Arkady Rotenberg is Putin's former judo sparring partner. He sold his stake in gas pipeline construction firm Stroygazmontazh in 2019 for a sum which RBC business daily put at some 75 billion roubles ($990 million).
He was notably among the Russian officials and business executives blacklisted by the United States and other Western powers in the aftermath of Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014.
Navalny and his anti-corruption foundation had 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 said he bought the palace two years ago.
"Now it will no longer be a secret, I am the beneficiary," Rotenberg said in a video published by Mash channel in Telegram. "There was a rather complicated facility, there were a lot of creditors, and I managed to become the beneficiary."
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He gave no further financial details of the purchase or how it had been funded.
Navalny was remanded in custody for 30 days on January 18 for parole violations he says were trumped up and could face years in jail. He was arrested after flying back to Moscow from Germany, where he had been recovering from a nerve agent poisoning last August.
After Navalny's arrest thousands of people joined unsanctioned protests across Russia last Saturday to demand the Kremlin release Navalny from jail. His supporters plan to hold further protest rallies across Russia this Sunday. Authorities have said they are illegal and have vowed to break them up.