Remember “Putin’s Palace”? ([ Ссылка ])
There’s also Mirziyoev’s dacha ([ Ссылка ]), the secret resort of Uzbekistan’s president, uncovered by our Uzbek service. Contractors reportedly toiled day and night to finish it in time for a 2018 visit by none other than the Russian president himself.
There’s a guarded perimeter around it, a no-fly zone above it, some helicopter landing pads, and the buildings are reportedly filled with luxurious Italian furniture ([ Ссылка ])
It’s estimated to have cost several hundred million dollars. But there have been other, hidden costs. In 2018, an adjacent river dried up after a reservoir was built next to the resort. Locals say they were left without a water supply. ([ Ссылка ]). A family working to protect nature in the idyllic area was driven away, their home razed ([ Ссылка ]).
An Uzbek activist, who sniffed out the President’s secret, said: “The taxpayers who paid for these buildings were deprived of the opportunity to go and relax with their families on tens of thousands of hectares of forest.” ([ Ссылка ])
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