Putin's Palace

Putin's Palace. History of World's Largest Bribe is a 2021 Russian documentary film by the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). The film investigates the residence commonly known as "Putin's Palace" that it claims was constructed for Russian president Vladimir Putin and details a corruption scheme allegedly headed by Putin involving the construction of the palace. The film estimates that the residence, located near the town of Gelendzhik in Krasnodar Krai, cost over ₽100billion (approximately $1.35billion) with what it says was "the largest bribe in history". Putin has said that neither he nor his family ever owned the palace and downplayed the investigation. Oligarch Arkady Rotenberg, who has close links to Putin, claimed ownership. Synopsis The film opens with a call for people to come out and participate in protests demanding the release of Alexei Navalny, the film's narrator and scriptwriter, who was detained after arriving in Russia following treatment and rehabilitation in Germany in connection with his poisoning in 2020. Alexei Navalny then goes on to tell the story of the making of the film, saying that the film is an in-depth look into the psychological portrait of Vladimir Putin. The film mainly focuses on the building of the Residence at Cape Idokopas, a dacha located near the town of Gelendzhik in Krasnodar Krai, which Navalny calls "the largest private house in Russia", citing documents regarding its construction, some of which are then presented to the audience for viewing. According to The Straits Times, these documents included itemised lists of purchased furniture and samples of the building's floor plans, which were handed over to the Anti-Corruption Foundation by a subcontractor involved with its construction. Allegedly, all vehicles entering the compound are subject to inspections at several checkpoints, and workers are strictly forbidden from carrying mobile phones with a camera. Besides the complex itself, the restricted area also includes an underground ice palace and two helipads, an arboretum and greenhouse measuring , a church, an amphitheatre, a teahouse and an bridge leading to the compound, which crosses a ravine. Due to its location on a steep bank, a special tunnel was dug to provide access to the nearby beach, which contains a tasting room overlooking the Black Sea.