 "Russia's President Vladimir Putin shows the way to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence near Moscow, Russia. Reuters")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Day 1 in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin involved bear hugs, a ride on a golf cart and even a walk through the stables. On Monday after landing in Russia, the PM had an informal gathering with Putin at his official residence at Novo-Ogaryovo.
At the start of their informal meeting , Putin conveyed his appreciation for Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia. He warmly greeted Modi, saying, “You are welcome here, friend. I’m really happy to see you.”
But what is known about Putin’s official residence where he hosted PM Modi. Here’s what we know.
Putin’s Novo-Ogaryovo house
Novo-Ogaryovo is an estate in the Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast. Since 2000, it has operated as Putin’s official residence. Prior to that, the swish property served as a state residence and guest house for foreign dignitaries during the Soviet era.
One report states that the estate’s main house was built in the 19th Century by order of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the brother of Emperor Alexander III. Later, it served as a gosdacha, a “state dacha”, or vacation retreat for housing guests, for receptions, and as a workplace for various government committees.
It was only in 2000 that the house became the official residence of Putin. In 2008, at the end of his presidential term, he was granted the right to reside in the property permanently. It is reported that Putin spent the entire of the COVID-19 pandemic too at this residence, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Moscow.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAn investigative report reveals that the house at Novo-Ogaryovo features a main villa, an entire sports and health complex, a helicopter terminal as well private railway stations. Proekt, an independent Russian media, had earlier reported that for the railway station, the Federal Guard Service seized land from private owners. “The special station itself is designed for a small number of cars and is hidden behind a tall fence, on which surveillance cameras are mounted 10 metres apart from one another,” the media house reported.
An architect, Stanislav Chekalyov, who claims to have worked on the estate in 2021, revealed to RFEL some very interesting details about the residence. He said that Putin had a private hospital on the grounds as well as a six-storey reception building and an ice rink. A luxury sauna, estimated to be built at a cost of $15 million, was also constructed there but it burned down in 2021 having never been used.
In June 2023, Proekt reported that Putin built a new “tsar’s village” for himself, his daughters and former wife around his official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.
Putin’s Novo-Ogoryavo is closed to the public, unlike the White House, which is the US president’s official residence.
Like Modi, Putin has invited other world leaders to his Novo-Ogaryovo house. In 2002, then US President George W Bush and wife Laura had met Putin at the house. Similarly, in 2009, Barack Obama also visited Putin there.
Putin’s other homes
Putin, it is reported, has a collection of dazzling properties across Russia. A report by The Guardian reveals that he has a dacha in Foros, just along the coast from Olyva in Crimea. Putin reportedly fell for state dacha number one, known as Wisteria, when he visited the area in 2003 and declared his “love for this small corner of Russia”. The luxurious holiday home is said to have indoor and outdoor pools as well as spa facilities.
Another one of Putin’s confirmed residences is known as Bocharov Ruchey in Sochi. According to the Russian state media outlet Russia Beyond, Bocharov Ruchey is known as one of Putin’s summer homes. Like Novo-Ogaryavo, Putin has met with a number of current and former world leaders at Bocharov Ruchey, which is near the Black Sea.
Putin owns another residence in Russia’s Novgorod region, known as Valdai. Known as the ‘golden house’ owing to its gold interiors, the house has a huge spa complex with a solarium, a cryo chamber, a 25-metre swimming pool, a hammam, a sauna, a mud room, massage baths, cosmetology and dentistry areas.
In 2021, Putin’s dissenter, late Alexei Navalny , released a video showcasing what he claimed to be one of Putin’s largest residences in Russia which was allegedly worth more than $1 billion and sprawled across 17,691 square metres. Known as ‘Putin’s Palace’, this estate boasted of having a casino and even its own vineyard.
Besides these, the Kremlin serves as the main official residence. It is a historic building built by order of Catherine the Great from 1776 to 1787. Interestingly, Putin does not live in the Kremlin but drops in by helicopter or car.
With inputs from agencies