By Kostas Onisenko
In the research film posted a few days ago by the Russian opposition politician and blogger, Alexei Navalny, which shows a huge palace that according to the research was built on behalf of the Russian president, there are also two churches.
In the huge area (in the coastal area of Gelendzhik) around the main building, in addition to other buildings, there is a large church. Elsewhere, there is a smaller church next to vineyards.
According to Navalny, the smaller church has been imported from Greece “brick by brick” and has been assembled there. As for the big church, no other details are provided.
Following the huge success of the research film (93 million views on YouTube so far this morning), the local Metropolis, to which the palace and the surrounding area geographically belongs, replied that it knew nothing about the churches in question.
The spokesman for the Novorossiysk Oblast of the Russian Church, answering a question from “Open Media”, stated that was completely unaware of the existence of the church, to which Saint it is dedicated, whether it is possible to perform services there, etc. The spokeman stated that these temples do not belong to the Diocese and no priest has been appointed for them.
After all, Russian President Vladimir Putin himself denies what Alexei Navalny accuses him of in the investigation posted on YouTube, stating that this palace “does not belong to me or my family.”
“I did not see this film simply because I did not have any free time, but I saw some excerpts selected by my advisers,” the Russian president said during a teleconference meeting with university students, adding: “None of what is mentioned in this film as my property belongs to me or my relatives and it never did”.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is considered Putin’s number one political opponent. He had been poisoned with the Novitsok military-type poison (as confirmed by the International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons – OPCW) and until recently was hospitalized in Germany.
He returned to Russia a few days ago where he was arrested at the airport as soon as he landed.
Thousands of Russians took to the streets on January 23 demanding his release.