A 2000 sq. m house, a fur coat storage, and a Maxim machine gun – Putin's godfather, a deputy in the Ukraine Rada, fled from house arrest
Reporters from the Ukrainian edition of Slidstvo.Info visited the oligarch and politician Viktor Medvedchuk who leads the pro-Russian forces and is also Putin's godfather.
IA “Interfax”, 27.02.2022, “Viktor Medvedchuk escaped from house arrest”: Viktor Medvedchuk, a deputy in the Verkhovna Rada (Opposition Platform – For Life faction), escaped from house arrest, as reported on social media by Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko. Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, confirmed, 'I checked. I confirm,' on his Telegram channel on Sunday.
Earlier, the media in Ukraine mentioned an anonymous source in the Office of the Prosecutor General regarding the politician's escape.
In October 2021, Medvedchuk was put under house arrest as a suspect in a treason case and accused of involvement in illegally supplying coal from a part of Donbass not under Ukraine's control. The former president of the country, Petro Poroshenko, is also implicated in this case.
Prior to this, Medvedchuk faced charges of treason, attempting to plunder national resources in Crimea, divulging state secrets to Russian special services, and engaging in subversive activities against Ukraine. Medvedchuk is also under sanctions from the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. — Inset K.ru.
Although it's impossible to see Medvedchuk himself, let's take a look at his palace! It spans over 2000 sq. meters. Unfortunately, the estate is currently empty, likely undergoing reconstruction by Putin's godfather.
“Ukrainska Pravda”, 03/12/2022, “Gilding, $345 plates, fur coats: journalists showed Medvedchuk’s palace from the inside”
Medvedchuk has been reworking and renovating his palace, hence the bare walls, wooden beams, and a plaster ornament for the future ceiling laid out on the floor. The estate comprises over 2 thousand sq.m. which is expected to hold over a hundred separate rooms such as halls, kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, and a large pool with walls already adorned with marble tiles.
Furthermore, the Medvedchuk estate encompasses several other houses — a Japanese-style one by the lake and another resembling a hunting lodge.The back room houses huge paintings:
A portrait of Oksana Marchenko, Medvedchuk's wife
A slot machine
A phone listing the palace's premises. It's evident that the Medvedchuks have their own barbershop and shooting gallery in the palace while Dasha, Putin's goddaughter, has her own living room.
Naturally, Medvedchuk couldn't do without a fur coat store!
Under each of his wife's fur hats, there's a mannequin:
The hallway featured a large set of Hermès plates.
Each plate with a leopard pattern costs 345 euros – equivalent to 44 thousand rubles at the present exchange rate.
Where there are fur coats, there are Louis Vuitton suitcases. As you know, these are indispensable for entry into Courchevel. The Alzer 80 model is listed on the official LV website.
is priced at $13,500
which is equivalent to 1555200 rubles. Beside the extravagant chandelier made of crystal, a Maxim machine gun was concealed, which was presented to Medvedchuk by a security team and drivers for his 50th birthday in 2004.By the way, in 2004, Medvedchuk served as head of the presidential administration of Ukraine, who was then
As the palace is undergoing renovation, there were not many luxurious items inside. However, underneath the camouflage net, the most intriguing feature of the estate was hidden – Medvedchuk’s personal railway station and a personal Pullman car.
The station is named “Far”. It has all the typical features of a real station: clocks, lights, a platform, and even a Pullman-type car. However, there are no actual tracks, only decorative rails. Thus, Medvedchuk did not escape from arrest using the railroad. Kuchma.
This, of course, is not a genuine Pullman, but rather a Ukrainian replica. It is unlikely to be intended for full-fledged operation; instead, it is likely just a decoration.
Presumably, Medvedchuk used the car as a restaurant and banquet hall. Journalists from Slidstvo.Info discovered that the “golden wagon” was a gift from Oksana Marchenko to her husband for his last birthday (August 7, 2021).
Internally, everything is adorned with gold and scarlet velvet:
The carriage includes a main salon for approximately 40 people, as well as a kitchen, a VIP compartment, and a restroom.
The cups in which esteemed guests of Medvedchuk are served tea in the dining car are neatly placed in silver coasters adorned with a gilded coat of arms of Russia. These are created and sold by the Kubachi Combine in Dagestan. A single cup holder
is priced at 17,375 rubles
. The product description states that “such a gift will undoubtedly be appreciated by a person holding a high position in the service of the state.” Furthermore, on the bar counter, there was a table lamp called “Napoleon III” from the French factory Bronze D’Art Français. The lamp is situated on a marble column and is embellished with pure gold. Today, such can be purchased for 340,000 rubles
Adjacent to it is a coffee machine from the luxury Italian brand Elektra. It, too, is gilded. The investigators note that the base model of this type of coffee machine costs from 220,000 hryvnia (approximately 840,000 rubles). However, this particular model was likely created by order of the Medvedchuks: it is adorned with a bas-relief and other decorative elements, indicating it may cost significantly more. Lamps made of crystal.
Stained glass on the ceiling
A samovar made of gilded titanium is located in the corner.
VIP compartment with a plush sofa
Naturally, the restroom features gilding as well. The only thing missing is the “pedal – hole in the floor” system for added realism.
In the kitchen, there are sets of cutlery from the French brand Cristofle. The chest for storing silver forks, spoons, and knives alone costs 53.5 thousand rubles, and each fork or spoon ranges from 11.5 to 34.5 thousand rubles.
There were numerous boxes containing silver cutlery from this brand in the car:
By the way, Zelensky recently signed a law on the forced seizure and nationalization of Russian assets in Ukraine. And currently, the Verkhovna Rada is working on a law that will allow for the nationalization of the property and funds of Russian and Ukrainian individuals who collaborate with them.
There were quite a lot of boxes with silver cutlery of this brand in the car:
By the way, Zelensky recently signed a law on the forced seizure and nationalization of Russian assets in Ukraine. And right now, the Verkhovna Rada is developing a law that will allow nationalizing the property and money of Russian and Ukrainian individuals who cooperate with them.
Perhaps the palace of Putin’s godfather, along with a luxurious pullman, will also be confiscated in favor of the state, and they will make Museum of Corruption or a children’s camp, as happened once with Mezhyhirya (aka “Megazhiryo”) Yanukovych.