Inside Putin and His Rumored Mistress' Luxury Yacht

An investigative site has uncovered a luxurious $50 million yacht linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has been frequented by his longtime rumored mistress, Alina Kabaeva.

The Dossier Center, a project launched by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, found that the 71-meter vessel named Victoria has been docked at a shipyard in Istanbul since late October.

According to the project's source, the luxurious super-yacht was the ninth such vessel discovered to be linked to the Russian president. It is currently undergoing repairs at a shipyard belonging to NATO member Turkey, the investigation found.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

One photo of the yacht's interior shows a lavish black, white and brown themed entertainment space decked with a large crescent sofa, columns, mirrored ceilings, and skylights.

Another photo shows a minimalist bedroom that includes a huge circular bed raised on a stage below a mirrored ceiling, as well as a large TV and a work space. A second bedroom is fitted with a large bed, mahogany bedside tables and a sofa positioned against the wall.

The vessel is reportedly officially registered to companies associated with Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko, a longtime ally of the Russian president.

Construction of the Victoria began at Russia's Sevmash naval dockyard in 2005 and was completed in 2019. Its completion was significantly delayed because Sergei Maslov, an acquaintance of Timchenko, stopped paying for it.

Khodorkovsky said in a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Putin "cannot have his own name on these things, because officially he lives on the presidential salary of about $120k a year."

"But while Putin's name does not appear anywhere on the documents for the Victoria, there is plenty of evidence that it is indeed one of his personal vessels," he said.

"Firstly, it is unlikely anyone else could order a yacht from a Russian navy shipbuilder specializing in nuclear submarines," explained Khodorkovsky. "Moreover, the yacht is based in Sochi – along with the rest of Putin's Black Sea vessels – and regularly visits Cape Idokopas in Gelendzhik, where Putin's palace is located, often accompanied by other boats known to belong to Putin."

The list of crew of the Victoria contains the names of several sailors known to have worked on other boats linked to Putin and his inner circle, he said.

Khodorkovsky added that Dossier Center also found the Victoria in the background of photographs uploaded by rhythmic gymnast Natalya Belugina, a close friend of Putin's rumored mistress Kabaeva.

"Dossier's source said Kabaeva often vacations on the Victoria with her friends and family," said Khodorkovsky.

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