Russia: Putin gives tour of his gilded Kremlin apartment for the first time

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has opened the doors of his private Kremlin residence for the first time, ending years of speculation over what lay behind the highly-guarded compound that has long been off-limits to the public.

In a rare and highly choreographed video, Putin was captured greeting journalist Pavel Zarubin outside the gold-plated entrance of his official apartment, located near his Kremlin office.

“Yes, this is the apartment. As you can see, it’s not far away,” Putin says before inviting Zarubin inside.

The video captured a lavish hall with gilded walls, towering gold-framed mirrors, glittering chandeliers, and exotic plants. 

A prominent portrait of Russian Emperor Alexander III rests on a table, flanked by plush light-coloured sofas in the centre of the room.

The decor continues with a white grand piano near the window, which Putin says he rarely plays. In further clips, previews of a longer interview set to air in Russia on 4 May, the president leads Zarubin through a dark-wood-panelled library, two bedrooms, and even a private ‘home church’.

Back in March 2023, during an episode of Moscow. Kremlin. Putin, the president, had revealed that part of his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping took place in this same apartment.

“We had a working lunch, and then I invited the chairman, as a friend, to move to another room.

“I have an apartment here [in the Kremlin], where I have been spending a lot of time lately, I work here and spend the night very often, so we moved there and, sitting by the fireplace and drinking tea, talked about everything slowly,” Putin said at the time.

According to DailyMailUK, the newly released images of the president’s opulent lifestyle come as Russia continues to face heavy losses in Ukraine. 

In March, British intelligence reported that Russian military casualties had reached the highest levels since the Second World War.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence estimated that as many as 250,000 Russian soldiers have died since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

 It added that total casualties stood at around 900,000, warning that “Putin and the Russian military leadership [is] highly likely to prioritise their military objectives over the lives of Russian soldiers.”

This glimpse into the Kremlin apartment follows earlier controversy over Putin’s alleged £1 billion clifftop palace in Gelendzhik. 

Leaked footage from last year suggested the extravagant estate,originally mocked for features such as a striptease stage, pole-dancing hookah hall, and ‘aqua disco’, has since undergone a religious-themed transformation.

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Investigative journalists linked to Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation first exposed the palace in 2021, sparking public outrage. 

At the time, the Kremlin claimed the property belonged to Putin’s childhood friend Arkady Rotenburg, who said he was developing it into a luxury “apart-hotel.”

More recent leaks have hinted at a shift in taste, aligning with Putin’s promotion of conservative values. The revamped palace reportedly now features a church complete with sacred icons and a wooden throne said to be for Putin’s personal use.

Among the religious artwork is an image of Prince Vladimir the Great—Putin’s historical namesake—who is remembered for uniting Russia and Ukraine over a thousand years ago.

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