A forest fire has broken out near the village of Krinitsa, close to Gelendzhik in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, after drone debris fell in the area. One of the fire sites is less than a kilometre from the Krinitsa winery, which is linked to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Source: The Insider; Vazhnyye Istorii (Important Stories); Agentstvo; Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of Krasnodar Krai
Details: Local authorities reported the fire on the morning of 28 August.
Photo: The Insider
As of the morning of 29 August, the fire had spread to 41.5 hectares. The village of Krinitsa is located about 10 km from Putin’s palace on Cape Idokopas.
Photo: The Insider
Some reports suggest the fire may be 3–4 km from the residence. The governor reported that more than 330 firefighters, around 80 pieces of fire appliances, a helicopter, and a Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations plane are involved in extinguishing the blaze.
In the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) documentary on “Putin’s Palace”, the Krinitsa winery was referred to as “Staryi Provence”, for which, among other things, gilded Italian toilet brushes were purchased.
Previously: On 28 August, Russian authorities reported drone attacks on several regions of Russia, while locals reported fires at two oil refineries and a railway hub.
Background:
On 19 January 2021, the day after Alexei Navalny’s arrest, his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) published an investigation into the palace supposedly belonging to Vladimir Putin near Gelendzhik.According to FBK, the palace was built and maintained by state companies Rosneft and Transneft, headed by Putin’s friends. The official area of the palace is 17,691 sq. m., and the estate covers 68 hectares, though FBK claims the property is 100 times larger, with an additional 7,000 hectares belonging to the FSB. In September 2020, the complex was leased until 2068.Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the video revealed nothing new, noting the topic had been raised three to four years ago and that the buildings are not Putin’s property. Peskov also claimed Putin does not use the Gelendzhik palace. Putin himself has stated that the palace has never belonged to him.
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