It has long been rumored that Vladimir Putin may -- secretly -- be the richest man in the world -- richer than Bezos, Musk, Gates or any of the other perennial top dogs on the lists of super-billionaires. As the head of one of the world's superpowers notorious for corruption among its upper ranks with eleven time-zones' worth of natural gas and other resources and almost zero transparency for how that immense wealth is dispersed, many have speculated that Putin may be something of a mega-uber-super-ultra wealthy capone, enjoying nigh-infinite luxury with very few assets actually in his name.
One such asset rumored to belong to Russia's deeply controversial president is a veritable palace on the coast of the Black Sea. Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny, who survived poisoning by a nerve agent before being thrown into Russian prison, released a documentary with his Russian anti-corruption team that looked into the suspected wealth of the Russian president and discovered this palace, hidden in the seaside forests of Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai in Western Russia, that makes anything Bezos or Musk owns look like a humble suburban townhouse.
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The seaside estate is estimated to be worth a jaw-dropping $1.6 billion dollars, absolutely dwarfing even the most lavix properties of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk by several orders of magnitude.
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The sprawling italianate palace is cordoned off, protected at all times by top-tier security with a no-fly-zone around it. Ships in the area are warned to stay one nautical mile away from the coastal edge of the estate.
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Dubbed the 'Most Secret Palace in Russia', the estate boasts 10 square miles and, alongside the gargantuan main compound hosts an astonishing number of other facilities -- leading many to call it a 'state within a state.'
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A greenhouse sporting a variety of exotic plants that would otherwise be unable to survive the high-humidty and cold winters of the regional climate. tended to and constantly monitored by team of over 40 gardeners.
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An over-the-top sculpture garden full of unidentifiable sculptures.
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A fully-functional radio tower alongside a climate-control unit.
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An immense garage complex.
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A massive underground hockey rink beside two heli-pads.
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A massive fortress for the hundreds of workers who have to live there full time to keep the palace running.
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An Orthodox Russian church imported brick-by-brick from Greece.
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A secret tunnel built by the team behind Russia's subway system that runs underground from inside the main palace, serving as both a quick getaway to the beach and a secured bunker.
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Some of the tunnel-workers who spoke to the Navalny team revealed that the underground tunnel also leads to a highly secure secret 'tasting room' that provides an unimpeded view of the Black Sea.
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A portion of the leaked plans that show a cross-section of the 'Tasting Room.'
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But it's what Putin has inside that gets really crazy. Some of the following images are digital renderings of the leaked plans.
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Render of leaked plans showing what is thought to be one of the bedrooms used by Putin himself. The hula hoop and pilates ball in the corner is a reference to Alina Kabaeva, gymnast and Honored Master of Sports, who is thought to be one of Putin's partners.
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A fully operational casino complex.
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A personal 'adult entertainment' club with a dancing pole.
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Numerous painted murals.
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And a literal arcade room.
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The Kremlin denies that this absolutely insane complex belongs to Putin, with ownership having been claimed by several associates of his. According to Putin himself, he makes $140K a year and lives in an 800 square foot apartment.
