On a recent morning, in the village of Praskoveyevka, located on the northern coast of Russia's Black Sea, a group of activists—some in bathing suits, others in the nude—went for a swim at a public beach. Their goal: to get a closer look at an extravagant mansion², set in the middle of a nearby forest. The house, with its black, iron gate and Soviet⁶ era façade（外观，建筑物正面）, looked surreal（超现实主义的）, as if someone had transported it from Moscow and dropped it in the middle of nowhere.

 

For months, the activists have been camping in the woods near the mansion, sneaking⁷ past the guards and the "No Trespassing⁸" signs to photograph the massive home. Last week, they posted photos online of its lush courtyard and Tsar-like bedroom on their popular blog.

 

Set in 74 hectares of prime land near the Black Sea coast with its own vineyard, the palace has its own helipad（直升机停机坪）. Other features include an indoor cinema, a summer amphitheatre（圆形剧场）, a casino, swimming pools, a gym and a clock tower.

 

Sergei Kolesnikov, the businessman who claims the palace is Mr Putin's, has likened the structure to a palace built for Russia's Tsars outside St Petersburg. He said that the Russian prime minister had personally approved the design and materials.

 

Mr Kolesnikov has called on Medvedev to investigate his controversial claim. "A palace is being built on the Black Sea coast for the personal use of the Russian prime minister," Mr Kolesnikov wrote in his original letter.

 

"As things stand, the cost of the palace is $1 billion. The funds were mostly raised through a combination of corruption⁹, bribery¹⁰ and theft," he said.

 

Mr Putin's spokesman has dismissed the allegation out of hand however, as has Mr Kozhin, the Kremlin official whose signature allegedly appeared on the original contract.

 

But Mr Kolesnikov, who said he was involved in the project himself until 2009 when he was removed for raising concerns about corruption, is sticking to his story and pictures of the lavish¹¹ residence have appeared on a Russian whistle-blowing web site.

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