Navalny’s fake documentary, readied for him by his American 3-letter-agency handlers in Germany (as uncovered by German journalists) and scheduled to coincide with his staged return to Russia has been peddled uncritically in both the Western MSM and on YouTube, where it was pushed as automatic “algorithmic” continuation to any watched Russian-language video, as well as being shown as a “commercial”. This manipulation along with some other peddling netted the fake documentary somewhere around 103 million views (as of writing) with 80% of views lasting less than 10 seconds. The goal was two-fold.

To entice the teenagers to go to protests, which failed miserably – only about 50000 gatehred across the whole of Russia with its 145 million population. And half of those gathered were journalists. Children as young as 9 years of age were drawn to the street in search of something cool and exciting, in search of a party. For this stunt Navalny got a byname in Russian social media sphere of “Oppositionsführer” (that’s how he was called in the German media), while the unfortunate children that he flocks to himself are often referred to as “Navalnyjügend”. But that is just his latest crime. Scroll down to a detailed list, compiled by Alexander Rogers.

The other goal was to place the Russian authorities in an awkward position: if they arrest Navalny for floundering the law (remember that he was released from the German hospital around November, while the deadline to register with the Russian penal services for his suspended embezzlement sentence was in end of December, so he had time to do it!), then it would demonstrate to the Russian population that Navalny and his ilk are above the law, and if he is arrested, then a mighty howling would be raised about “suppressing the opposition”.

Back to the palace video. That particular place in Gelendzhik was first attributed to the-then target of Navalny’s and his handler’s slander – Pesident Medvedev. When Putin was elected President, the “ownership” suddenly became ascribed to him. In 2012 Vladimir Kozhin, the Superintendant for Presidential Affairs gave an extended interview to “Rossijskaja Gazeta”:

https://rg.ru/2012/10/18/kvartal.html
Among many other things covered in the article, pertaining to what items of state property the President has access to, there was a question about this “palace” (in reality – an apart-hotel, as we will see later)

Vladimir Kozhin: There is no “Putin’s Dacha” in Gelendzhik. Whose property is there? I don’t know. The Patriarchal and Synodal Spiritual, Administrative and Cultural Center of the Russian Orthodox Church in the South of Russia operates near Gelendzhik, and we helped to build it, and on a commercial basis.

As for the so-called “residences” of the president, there is a lot of gossip. For example, the head of state came to Krasnoyarsk, spent a night there, ant becomes “a residence”. He flies to Irkutsk, spends a night in a guest house, on Lake Baikal – a residence. That is, they are actually either guest houses of local authorities, or business centers of regional significance. But they have nothing to do with the Superintendents. I can officially say, probably for the hundredth time, that the president has three residences outside of Moscow: “Ogarevo” in the Moscow region, “Bocharov Ruchey” in Sochi and on the Valdai.

But Navalny’s handlers decided to beat this dead horse one more time… This time adding CGI images of lavish casino-like rooms, a swimming pool with a computer-manipulated image of Preident Putin (from a few years back when he swam in Yenissey river), and all the rest of the jazz.

Luckily there are real journalists in this world, and one such journalist, Maxim Iksanov, from channel Mash managed to get access to the location and film both the surroundings and the inside of what turned out to be a long-haul construction site of what is most likely going to be a luxury apartment hotel once it is complete.

I first read about Iksanov’s documentary in “Argumeny i Fakty” here:

“Concrete all around”. “Putin’s Palace” is an unfinished construction site of an unknown owner.

Here is the video itself, in Russian, currently scoring a little over 2 million views:

RT has since published an article with some transcripted highlights from this video:
Building dubbed ‘Putin’s Palace’ by Navalny is an empty shell, say Russian journalists in video from Black Sea building site

Here is my transcript of the reportage portion of the video (in the range 1:07 – 4:54)

…

We got help from a guide in filming our own version of a program “Visiting a Home”. It was a representative of the technical supervision, who monitors the construction of the palace for already 6 years.

The builder refused us several times, but in the end called us back, and we headed to the sunny Gelenzhik at break-neck speed.

Upon arrival, he clearly stated the conditions: we can film both outside and inside whatever we like, but we have 1 hour to do it – that’s the maximum he can do. So no strolls along the garden paths and an evening on the beach. Yes, it’s a pity.

The arrivals are greeted by the front entrance without the gate. They are simply not there. No copy of the tzarist eagle with the crown from the Winter Palace. It seems strange that such a place lacks it.

To the important bit: what is inside? What did I see with my own eyes? The location is easy to describe: it’s concrete all around. Everything is in essence at the 0-stage of construction. Not something to boast about in front of your friends.

A lot of workers everywhere. You meet builders at almost every step. While we inspected the construction, the guys were drilling, and working with what they were supposed tro do. I managed to see every room and corner of the building in the course of the hour. It was pretty boring if I am to be honest, but I can at least tick off the mark – I managed to see THAT VERY palace.

We started the tour with the famous kalyan smoking room. A more modest decore meet one instead of the theoretical smoking pipes: casks, robes, change of clothes. This is the changing room of the workers, employed at the site, though maybe someone uses this space as a smoking room.

Next is the “Mud room”. The room is next to a swimming pool, that does exist, but at the early stages of construction. Our guide told us that shower rooms are planned for this location. It must be noted that there is not much more mud here, than in the rest of the building.

And, of course, the aquatic disco, so adored by everyone and even sung about in the songs. I found it to the right of the main entrance. The builders themselves call this meme-location as simply a fountain. It reminded me more of a pool with a bar.

What about the theatre? What is being on show there now? Again – concrete. There is a location where one can see the outlines of the future stage, though the builders call this place as more of a concert area. Maximum a common room of the Culture House.

And that is how it is everywhere: a concrete room after a concrete room. What did I see in the end? The exterio is a 10 out of 10 – is is completely finished with marble, and what is inside? Not all is perfect as they said in there. There are approximately 16 identical location for bedrooms, bathrooms and, sometimes, entrées. Plus a few roomy location the purpose of which is completely unknown to me. A long corridor connects the rooms. According to our guide’s estimates, the project won’t be finished earlier, than in 5-6 years.

And they don’t seem to be working at any high pace. I can, generally understand them – you don’t want to hurry with such a sea view.

Surrounding is a territory with a beautiful garden. However, I could not find the purpose of the building, nor the name of the owner.

….

The owner of the hotel construction site turned out to be billionaire Arkadij Rotenberg, who came forward and gave interview to the above new channel Mash:

Rotenberg names himself as the beneficiary of the “palace” in Gelendzhik

The beneficiary of the apart-hotel on Cape Idokopas near Gelendzhik is the billionaire Arkady Rotenberg. This was stated to the Telegram channel Mash by the businessman himself.

“I managed to reach an agreement with the creditors, and I became the beneficiary of this facility several years ago,” Rotenberg said.

According to him, the construction of the hotel is planned to be completed in a couple of years.

The businessman also said that the complex at Cape Idokopas is not the only hotel facility that he is engaged in.
…

Here is the English-version from RT:

‘I’m the beneficiary,’ Russian billionaire Rotenberg says about ‘Putin’s palace’ posh resort

…
“I like the hotel business…and have been involved in it for several years now,” Rotenberg said, adding that he owns several ‘objects’ throughout Russia. He said the site in question has a troubled financial history, but he nevertheless acquired it a few years ago, putting faith in its “gorgeous” coastal location.

“This project is somewhat scandalous and difficult. But mark my words, in 12 or 18 months I’ll invite you to witness for yourself what beauty it will be,” he told Mash editor-in-chief, Maksim Iksanov, joking that the journalist may get a discount since he already snuck in to see his property.
…

And now a little something about the “illustrious” past of Navalny.

I am not delving into his ultra-nationalistic leanings, which were well covered by RT in Pro-western liberal, anti-migrant nationalist, or political opportunist: Who exactly is Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny? with his quotes going as far abck as 2011.

Here I want to translate a summary of his crimes collected by the journalist Alexander Rogers in his article on Kont, named “The complete list of Navalny’s crimes”

So, I thought about the fact that I didn’t see anywhere a list of Navalny’s crimes collected in one place.

And I decided that this was a serious omission. Which needs to be corrected immediately. But, I warn you right away, it will turn out to be pretty superficial, because the list is large and in all the details in it will make up a multi-volume case (and few people will be able to read through this).

I’ll try to do it chronologically, but I’ll see how it goes. Excuse me.

Let’s go.

1. Shooting a man at a political debate. On October 30, 2007, Alexey Navalny (who at that time was a member of the Yabloko party) participated as a moderator in a debate at the Moscow Gogol club in Stoleshnikov Lane.

After the end of the debate, Navalny had a verbal altercation with one of the spectators (they write that Navalny was angry that he gave Maria Gaidar a flower, and Alexey then had an affair with her – but this is not interesting to me personally). After that, on the street, Navalny shot at the victim at point-blank range the entire clip from a traumatic pistol (for carrying which he did not have a license), aiming at the head.

That is, there is a composition of two crimes at once – illegal carrying of weapons and shooting at an unarmed person (in principle, it qualifies for an attempted murder, but this is something to be classified by lawyers).

But after the intervention of Nikita Belykh and the involvement of Maria Gaidar’s connections, the case was hushed up (something Navalny’s supporters are not outraged about, that this is nepotism and lawlessness).

2. The Yves Rocher case. On December 14, 2012, based on the statement of the General Director of Yves Rocher Vostok LLC (the Russian branch of Yves Rocher), Bruno Leprou, a case was initiated against Oleg and Alexey Navalny on charges of fraud and money laundering.

In the spring of 2008, Oleg Navalny, who worked at the time as the head of the Department of Domestic Mail branch of FSUE “Pochta Rossii”, convinced the representatives of “Yves Rocher Vostok” what Yaroslavl branch of the FSUE “Mail of Russia” can not fully satisfy the need of “Yves Rocher Vostok” LLC in sending parcels and convinced them to sign a contract for the implementation of transport services with the “Main Subscription Agency” at inflated prices.

19 million roubles were transferred by “Main Subscription Agency” to the Navalny family company “Kobyakovskaya factory for dowsing” under premises lease agreements.

The damage caused to Yves Rocher Vostok is estimated at 26 million roubles. The lease agreements, under which the money was transferred to the “Kobyakovskaya dowsing factory”, were recognized as fictitious by the investigation. Alexey Navalny, according to the TFR, carried out the general management of these operations, remaining “in the shadows”.

The case of “Yves Rocher” was merged with a similar case of “Interregional Processing Company” LLC, which also entered into a contract with “Main Subscription Agency” LLC with an alleged damage of 3.8 million roubles.

On October 29, 2013, Alexey and Oleg Navalny were charged with embezzlement, by deception, of funds of Yves Rocher Vostok LLC and Multidisciplinary Processing Company LLC, as well as money laundering.

On December 19, 2014, at a debate in the Zamoskvoretsky Court, the prosecutor demanded 10 and 8 years of imprisonment for the Navalny brothers under Part 4 of Article 159 and Part 2 of Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

According to parts 2 and 3 of Article 159.4 (the court changed the qualification of the article) and part 2 of Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Alexey Navalny was sentenced to 3.5 years of imprisonment (suspended, with a probation period of 5 years), thereby receiving a second suspended sentence, and his brother Oleg – to the same term in a general regime colony.

A second suspended sentence is something unthinkable in law enforcement practice, and I have a lot of questions about this.

3. The Case of “Kirovles” (Kirov Forests). Chronologically, the crime was committed in 2009, but Navalny was convicted for it only in 2013.

The defendants in the case, Navalny and Ofitserov, jointly created the “Vyatka Forest Company”, which played the role of a laying firm between the state enterprise “Kirovles” and the final recipients of the forest products of “Kirovles”. At the same time, VLK purchased timber products from Kirovles at obviously lowered prices, which were significantly lower than the average market prices, and sold them to end users at market prices, thereby causing damage to Kirovles. The total volume of the stolen goods: 10 thousand cubic meters of forest products worth 16 million roubles.

These actions were classified as theft of timber products belonging to Kirovles on a particularly large scale, committed by embezzlement. Navalny was the organizer of the crime, and Ofitserov was an accomplice.

On July 18, 2013, the Leninsky District Court of Kirov found Navalny and Oficetov guilty and sentenced them to five and four years in prison, respectively. On October 16 of the same year, the Kirov Regional Court replaced the imprisonment with a suspended sentence.

On February 23, 2016, the ECHR published a decision in which it recognized that during the consideration of the Kirovles case in 2013, the rights of Navalny and Ofitserov to a fair trial and to punishment solely on the basis of the law were violated. At the same time, the ECHR did not recognize the case as politically motivated, as Navalny’s lawyers demanded.

On February 8, 2017, the Leninsky District Court of Kirov re-sentenced Navalny and Ofitserov to 5 and 4 years of probation.

4. The case of “Bolotnaja square”, aka “the case of May 6”. The Investigative Committee investigated the criminal case about mass riots (article 212 of the criminal code) and cases of violence against representatives of law enforcement (article 318 of the criminal code) that took place during the protests (the so-called “March of millions”, which was attended by about 8-9 thousand people) on May 6, 2012. About 400 demonstrators were detained, and criminal cases were opened against more than 30 people.

Many received real terms, but the organizer of all this business Alexey Navalny, for some reason, got off with only administrative charges (which personally, like many others, raises certain questions).

5. Insult to a veteran of the Second World War. The Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the city of Moscow opened a criminal case against A. A. Navalny. He is suspected of committing a crime under part 2 of article 128.1 of the criminal code (slander, that is, the spread of false information discrediting the honour and dignity of another person and damaging his reputation, contained in a public speech).

A video clip was posted on one of the federal information resources, in which the participant of the Great Patriotic War I.S. Artemenko expressed his position on the amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

After that, Navalny in his video called the veteran a “corrupt lackey” (from the mouth of a mega-selling agent of foreign special services, begging for donations from children, this sounds especially cynical).

6. Allegations of fraud. A criminal case on fraud on a particularly large scale (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code) was opened against Alexey Navalny and other persons.

It is established that for the needs of a range of non-profit organizations, including “the Fund of struggle against corruption,” “Foundation for the support of mass media, ‘The Fifth season'”, “The Foundation of the organization and coordination of protection of the rights of citizens”, “The Fund of legal support of citizens”, “The Fund for the protection of the rights of citizens ‘HEADQUARTERS'”, more than 588 million roubles were collected from individuals in donations. These funds were intended exclusively for the purposes of the funds.

According to the IC, Navalny, being the actual head of all these organizations and acting together with other persons, spent more than 356 million roubles from this amount for personal purposes: the purchase of personal property, material values and payment of expenses (including holidays abroad). Thus, the funds collected from the citizens were stolen.

7. Charges of involving minors in the perpetration of a crime. This is the most “fresh”. And I separately hope that for this, he and his closest accomplices will all be punished. Because, from my point of view, to risk the life and health of other people’s children, to expose them to liability (including, possibly, criminal) – this is an exorbitant level of moral degradation.

8. Charges of high treason. Now, Ilya Remeslo is actively engaged in this business, and he usually brings his affairs to a logical conclusion. We wish good luck to Ilya!

In fact, this is not a complete list, but it is enough to poke in the nose of those who say “Alyosha is an angel, a saint and a fighter against corruption”.

Twice convicted for corruption and embezzlement, having several open criminal proceedings on similar charges, a repeat offender can not be either a “saint” or a real fighter against corruption. But a puppet of the Western special services, who receives foreign funding for their subversive actions – that’s more like it.

P.S.: by the way, Ilya Remeslo has a separate site dedicated to Navalny’s crimes: NavalnyLeaks. But I remembered about it after writing my article.