A viral photo of a futuristic-style house called “Putin’s house” in Sochi, Russia, has spread on social media, causing many people to falsely believe it belongs to the Russian president.
In fact, the house was merely a design concept of what Vladimir Putin’s house might look like through the eyes of Russian architect Roman Vlasov.
This is not a real house.
This is a draft design by Vlasov based on what he thinks Putin’s house would look like. https://t.co/sr1UkTkoYp
– Yashar Ali @ (@yashar) 5 April 2021
According to an Instagram entry from Vlasov in January, the house is being labeled “PUTIN HOUSE: or a story about what his villa might look like.”
The version is merely a three-dimensional concept design that does not exist anywhere physically. Along with the report, Vlasov used the hashtags #concept and #design to explain that it was merely a version and not an actual depiction.
But the futuristic design – which features prop structures and a flat top in a secluded forest – has recently re-circulated on social media, making viewers believe it’s actually Putin’s home.
Some people have compared the house online to a villainous layer from a James Bond movie, while others see the structure as ‘evil’. One social media report claiming that the house is Putin, which was shared on April 3, received more than 9,000 likes and 1,600 retweets.
The viral photo comes months after Putin came under fire over allegations that he built an extensive “secret” billion-dollar mansion near the Russian Black Sea.
In January, Russian critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny released a film through his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), in which he accused Putin of building the ornate property with evidence of drones, interviews with contractors and publicly available documents. and blueprints.
The film claims that the property cost $ 1.35 billion and states that it was paid for through a corruption scheme in which Putin gave his best allies and lucrative government projects to his allies.
MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV / Sputnik / AFP / Getty Images
The 68-hectare (168-acre) estate is said to be 39 times the size of Monaco, equipped with a 190,500-square-foot mansion with a theater, casino, two helicopter pads, an arboretum and an underground ice rink. The film was viewed more than 87 million times online, prompting viewers to express surprise and indignation and have fun in the massive coastal palace.
Putin has since denied the allegations, saying in January: “Nothing in the film indicates that my property belongs to me or my loved ones, and never did. Never.”
Navalny, 44, has been in jail since February when he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for violating the terms of his probation for a previous conviction.
The Russian critic became internationally known in August after suffering from an almost fatal poisoning on a flight from Siberia. He was taken to Germany to recover and has since claimed Putin ordered his poisoning.
Putin, 68, has been in power in Russia for more than two decades. On Monday, he signed a controversial law that allowed him to remain president until 2036.