World News for Students of English

29-01-2021 07:00

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the ownership of a huge palace on the Black Sea coast.

The accusations were made by Putin’s political rival Alexei Navalny in a two-hour documentary that laid out the scale of the project. Complete with formal gardens, landing pads for three helicopters, a vineyard, 24-hour security, and a private theatre, the palace was originally intended to be a modest vacation home. However, it’s now almost forty times the size of Monaco. Putin is accused of secretly funding the massive estate worth 1.3 billion dollars through an elaborate corruption scheme.

However, experts believe that Putin’s public denial of the claims hints at his fear over Navalny’s growing political influence. Navalny has been in police custody since returning to Russia from Germany earlier this month, and there have been violent protests demanding his release.

Difficult words: rival (a person who fights with somebody), corruption (dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people), hint (to suggest or indicate something).

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