Never-before-seen video has emerged of Vladimir Putin’s secret northern hideout – just 18 miles from Russia’s border with NATO.
The despot, 71, is accused of “stealing” a scenic waterfall and a slice of commandeered national park – larger than Monaco – for his lake-and-forest retreat.
The secret bolthole which Putin shares with lover Alina Kabaeva, 40, a world-famous gymnast, is beside the picturesque 13ft Marjalahti waterfall.
He has a modernistic gazebo in full view of the beauty spot, sealed off from ordinary Russian people, according to the independent news outlet Dossier Centre.
The retreat is in the Lake Ladoga National Park in Karelia – as far north as the Faroe Islands – but close to the Russian NATO border with Finland.
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There are several buildings and a tell-tale sign that this is part of a huge Putin portfolio of secret homes and palaces hidden from the Russian people.
“Behind the barn you can see a regular mound,” said Dossier journalist Ilya Rozhdestvenskiy.
“It is not known for certain what exactly this site is for, but judging by satellite images, it appeared in the last couple of years.
“It is possible that an air defence system is being displayed here…”
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