Vladimir Putin has been a Russian head of state since 2008 and is undeniably one of the most powerful people in the world he got his start as an intelligence officer in the KGB and built a web of important allies in the Russian government since then he has become synonymous with Russian politics serving as the president since 2012 while some consider him to be despotic he continues to have high approval ratings among Russian citizens because of the shadowy nature of Russian economics some even believe that he is the wealthiest man on the planet with a net
worth in excess of 200 billion dollars but most headlines focus on his high profile international disputes and subterfuge to better understand this mysterious figure we're answering the question how does Vladimir Putin spend his billions it's no secret that Putin calls the shots in Russia and has a network of spies and henchmen at his disposal no one knows exactly how deep his organized crime routes go but it's clear that it's starting to pay off for him in 2011 a Russian version of WikiLeaks posted a number of photos of Putin's secret mansion in the forest by the
Black Sea many estimate the property to be worth almost 1 billion dollars making it one of the most expensive houses in the world soon after the pictures went up at rule leaks net the site was blocked by Russian authorities dr. Sergey kalishnikov accuses Putin of paying for the palace through bribery and theft but of course Putin's office maintains that he has nothing to do with this palace regardless the mansion is surrounded by ornate courtyards in a sandwich between a mountain range and the beach this is all in line with the wealth that Putin has secretly
accrued over the years and unlike the official richest person in the world Jeff Bezos Putin doesn't need to declare his earnings or the massive payouts he gets from illegal activity on top of his billion-dollar mansion he reportedly has access to 20 different palaces and villas across the world however he must enter and exit them secretly lest the public discovers his massive fortune in addition to his main residence Putin has a number of residences throughout Russia one of the most widely publicized is Borakove Russia in Sochi completed in 1955 it was commissioned by Kliment Voroshilov a
Soviet marshal and strongman under Joseph Stalin this government Dasha was frequented by Soviet leaders such as Khrushchev and Brezhnev in modern Russia Morocco Russia became an official summer residence of Russia's President and it's the only government Dasha on the Black Sea Putin clearly has a penchant for the finer things one of those things appears to be a unique super yacht with a rather opaque existence although details surrounding graceful Genesis remains sketchy we do know some facts about the vessel officially launched in 2013 graceful displaces 2,500 tons has a steel hull with an aluminium superstructure features
a bulbous bow and is powered by a pair of 3100 horsepower diesel engines that push twin screws supposedly it can sleep 14 guests in six rooms including one large owner's suite - VIP staterooms and another 3 guest cabins the ship is designed to accept a crew complement of 24 it is valued at twenty million dollars making it the cheapest in his fleet of for one of the yachts Olympia was gifted to him by Roman Abramovich a decent thirty-five million dollar present another yacht called Rossio was refurbished in 2005 for a total of 1.5 billion dollars
little is known about his fourth boat because he tries to maintain his privacy while afloat Putin bought himself a new limo in 2018 specifically to compete with Donald Trump's Beast it is called the Auris Senate according to Nami the Senate is the latest model in a new line of ultra luxury cars that will be sold under the Auris brand the Senate is powered by a 598 horsepower 4.4 liter v8 engine paired with a hybrid drive system it's mated to a 9 speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels the armored Senate is 21
point 7 feet long and weighs in at a colossal 14,000 330 pounds like the beast the presidential Senate is bulletproof and bomb-proof the Daily Mail reported the interior has been focused on rear passengers with rear seats that recline 45 degrees and are equipped with designer pillows there is also a built-in refrigerator with Oris branded crystal glasses and fold-out tables with leather trim the car is expected to go on sale in Europe from the end of 2020 with a price tag of around 150 thousand euros Deniz mantorov Russian Minister of Industry and Trade said the president
gave feedback to the designers he requested some very light amendments about I would say the hydraulic system of the car because we made it first quite soft he asked to make some amendments to make it more I would say stronger maybe more brutal mantorov told reporters Vladimir Putin's flying palace was revealed as he touched down in Helsinki for his big meeting with Donald Trump in 2018 the Russian presidents flagship aircraft is a wide bodied long-haul airliner that is easily distinguishable from the regular model by its extended fuselage costing seventy million dollars the il 96 300
PU jet is equipped with an advanced communication system that allows it to act as a Management Center capable of commanding troops in case of an unexpected attack most of the interior on board the plane is finished in gold trim including the toilet and sink in the bathroom Russia's leader can consult with the senior staff onboard the jet in this swanky conference style meeting room the toilet alone is worth $100,000 the bedroom suite onboard the aircraft is truly spectacular the furniture an interior decor are finished in the neoclassical style and the planes are equipped with a
spacious office and a huge conference table with a gold trim that is surrounded by cream leather seats and apparently this is one of 58 aircraft in Putin's personal fleet he supposedly has eight tu-154 and their value is between 7.5 million and 20 million dollars depending on their age he also has two tu-204 300s they feature a luxury salon which is protected from noise complete with modern telephone systems and internet access 15 of the aircraft in Putin's fleet are helicopters not much variety here according to a report they're all mi eighths among the most popular models
in the world and these are just a handful of the aircraft that Putin is rumored to have in his fleet the Russian president has more than eleven luxury watches with at least 700,000 dollars in total but one stands out from the rest the watch is none other than a true Grand complication patek philippe wristwatch a reference 5 208 p the 5 208 p is one of the most complicated watches Patek has ever made and it includes a minute repeater Amano push a chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar it is one of the most impressive wristwatches
in the world and also one of the most expensive it costs roughly 1 million dollars and is offered only to the top clients of the brand by application but then in 2017 the watch was put up for auction there is some mystery surrounding the watch as it was engraved with Putin's name even though he never officially purchased it instead it was auctioned to an anonymous buyer from Russia so far from what we know this watch has been bought by a very important person to be given as a gift to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Annabelle Faris auctions
director for Monaco legend said by email the auction house has not contacted the Kremlin about its provenance she added while he needs to blend in with other political elites meaning he can't wear anything particularly flashy Putin has a taste for fine clothes at one time he was nicknamed the man in black because he almost exclusively wore black suits in fact all of his clothes are custom designed and hand tailored his favorite brand is kitten and pre-owned II and they sell their suits for a minimum of five thousand euros each when it comes to shoes he
wears John Lobb or Salvatore Ferragamo these also said you back many thousands of dollars meaning that his wardrobe is likely worth half a million dollars at least although he indulges in popular Western brands Putin knows that it will be a faux pas to become associated with such decadence so his personal stylist whom he has worked with for more than a decade tears all of the tanks of his clothes individually before he is spotted in public and of course Putin is the king of ultra staged photo opportunities he wants to show the Russian populace that he
has a casual side as well thus he opted for v-neck pullovers which have replaced the black turtleneck and jacket then in 2014 he made one small mistake in his efforts to show regular Russians how vital and relatable he is in a bizarre photoshoot set in the gym of the state residence in Sochi Russia Putin pumped iron alongside Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medea the sweatpants he was wearing while doing so retailed for one thousand four hundred and twenty-five dollars a pair according to courts the pants are made by Italian luxury designer Loro Piana which specializes in
wool and cashmere products the portland joggers are made of 50% silk and 50% cashmere he waited until after a set of side crunches in a bit of heavy chest breathing to throw on the matching 1795 dollar bomber style zip up Hoodie a three thousand two hundred and twenty dollar gym outfit may seem excessive to most but it's a choice that feels in keeping with Putin's taste for the gratuitous finer things Russia's stock market is booming and they have some of the highest foreign currency reserves of any nation on earth yet the economy is still limping
along by some estimates on the verge of stagnation the prescription in the Kremlin's eyes is a page out of John Maynard Keynes writings ninety years ago for any economy facing a recession or even stagnation spend more in his state of the nation speech Putin specifically called for spending more on social welfare initiatives 65 billion dollars through 2024 for things like free hot lunches for schoolchildren and subsidies aimed at encouraging families to have more children because he is a man with many enemies putin has beefed up the presidential security service during his time in office though
the organization is necessarily secretive Putin employs 2,000 to 3,000 plain clothes officers to guard him at any given time they secure buildings that he is scheduled to enter and work around the clock to mitigate any threat to his safety the unit has armored cars drones and even a dedicated psychological security unit that collects intelligence regarding any perceived threat either at home or abroad and it pays to do well in these positions many of Putin's guards have been promoted to prestigious positions in the Kremlin and gained wealth and prosperity and Putin has gifted many of them
prized properties in the most highly sought-after parts of Russia often turning to bribery intimidation and blackmail to scare the current residents out of their homes guarded by police an ordinary apartment block in moscow city center is rumored to house a two billion dollar art collection which reportedly includes over 1,000 works by Leonardo da Vinci Michelangelo Rembrandt and other Renaissance artists once belonging to an octogenarian Nina maleva this collection will go to none other than Putin per mole Eva's wishes with a starting price of $400,000 at auction most experts believe the impressive Assembly of paintings is
worth in excess of two billion dollars
