Putin opens Kremlin residence: Rare glimpse into opulent life
Vladimir Putin has, for the first time, opened the doors of his Kremlin residence to a broader audience. This exclusive tour was given to reporter Pavel Zarubin.
The men enter a large room decorated with gilded walls, large mirrors in gold frames, golden chandeliers, and exotic-looking plants. The first thing that stands out is a large portrait of Tsar Alexander III, which rests on a table. In the center of the room, there are light-colored sofas.
By the window, there's a piano that, as Putin himself admits, he rarely has the opportunity to play.
In the following scenes, Putin shows the journalist a library lined with dark wood, two bedrooms, and a small "home chapel." Back in March 2023, during a conversation with the state program "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin," the leader admitted that the informal part of negotiations with the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, took place in this residence.
"I spend a lot of time at the Kremlin and often stay overnight. So we moved here and, sitting by the fireplace, sipping tea, we slowly talked about everything," Putin confessed at the time.
Critics of Putin note that the luxuries he surrounds himself with are starkly different from the conditions faced by soldiers at the front under his orders. The losses suffered by Russia in the war with Ukraine are the highest since World War II.
Controversial palace on the cliff
Last year, reports surfaced that Putin renovated his extravagant Gelendzhik palace, located on the Black Sea, at an enormous cost. Its existence was first revealed three years ago by investigative journalists from Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption foundation. A strip club, casino, and "aqua disco" - such interiors led to ridicule of Putin.
Consequently, last year he undertook a costly renovation, during which the rooms for indulgence were transformed into a temple with icons, religious paintings, and a wooden prayer book. One of the paintings depicts the canonized Prince Vladimir the Great—sharing the same name as Putin and being his historical hero—who is credited with uniting Ukraine and Russia over a thousand years ago.
