Text version
0:00
Hi, this is Navalny. In our secret archives,
0:02
we've long had a story about
0:04
Dmitry
0:07
Medvedev's secret fishing island. He is the former prime minister, and
0:09
now simply the modest leader of the United Russia party.
0:12
We filmed it back in 2017.
0:15
But we didn't publish it. Why? We didn't
0:18
have enough evidence. That is, we ourselves didn't for a
0:20
second doubt that an entire island
0:23
with a complex of buildings really
0:25
belongs to Medvedev and was given to him as
0:28
a bribe by oligarch Usmanov, but
0:31
for us, it's very important to maintain a high
0:33
standard of proof. You trust us
0:36
because we never lie, and our
0:38
evidence is always one hundred percent solid.
0:40
So we needed to go
0:42
to the site and not just film the property, but also
0:45
the people who work there, and talk to
0:47
locals. But getting to the secret island
0:49
isn't so easy. First you have to
0:52
drive for an hour and a half, then
0:53
go 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) by boat. But we didn't
0:56
have the time, plain and simple. In the end, we
0:58
packed everything into a folder and put it away in
1:01
a drawer for later.
1:02
And now we're taking it out because the outlet
1:05
Proekt—many thanks to them—not only also
1:08
discovered this island, but also did
1:10
exactly the work that we once
1:12
weren't able to do. And they reach
1:14
the same conclusion we did: the island belongs
1:16
to Medvedev, and it was paid for with money from oligarch
1:20
Usmanov. Proekt's reporters found a builder
1:22
who worked on Medvedev's dacha (country estate).
1:24
The builder and his crew were underpaid, and he
1:27
was upset, so he described things in considerable
1:29
detail to journalists, including
1:31
this funny detail: in the house, everything was made
1:33
to fit Medvedev's height, and even the sinks
1:36
were installed much lower than
1:38
standard height.
1:38
And the workers amused themselves by
1:41
taking photos in front of those
1:42
sinks: "So this is the kind of dacha Medvedev has."
1:45
Here are ours.
1:45
But more than that, we even found the person
1:48
who built that very dacha. The clients
1:50
—as often happens—
1:52
let him down and didn't pay his fee for the project.
1:54
Perhaps that's why he wanted to tell us about it.
1:56
We
1:58
kind of understood that this was being done for
2:02
a certain kind of client. The finishing used
2:04
genuinely expensive
2:06
materials, the guys who had worked there
2:08
from the very beginning told us—
2:10
the landscapers, for example—that yes,
2:12
the client really did
2:13
personally seem to be involved in that kind of
2:15
work directly. Apparently you couldn't avoid it. Why?
2:18
Because, roughly speaking, it wasn't exactly
2:20
an order, but they would say, well,
2:22
you're the specialist, so go ahead and do it.
2:25
Svetlana chose everything and approved everything.
2:28
Svetlana Medvedeva—Svetlana Medvedeva is
2:30
the wife of our prime minister—she
2:33
signed various documents, she
2:36
selected various coverings there—carpets,
2:40
different floor and wall finishes. So on
2:43
the site there was an atmosphere of
2:44
state-level secrecy. Everyone had
2:46
their phones taken away; they weren't allowed
2:47
to take photographs. And then some
2:49
important people would come by, and we
2:51
had all our phones taken away and were forbidden
2:54
from using cameras.
2:56
Local residents told Proekt that
2:57
near the island they often restrict
2:59
boat traffic, block roads, and even
3:02
don't allow people to let their cows out to graze.
3:05
Literally everyone in the area knows when
3:08
Dmitry Anatolyevich (a respectful way of referring to Dmitry Medvedev by first name and patronymic)
3:09
has deigned to come "to work"—and that happens
3:12
often. With enviable
3:13
regularity, Medvedev flies to Astrakhan
3:15
to work and relax. For example, look:
3:17
in 2019, local media ran a note saying
3:20
that Medvedev had flown to Astrakhan
3:22
to celebrate his birthday. His birthday
3:24
is on September 14. Here, RIA Novosti
3:26
citing Medvedev's press secretary
3:28
reports that he
3:30
plans to celebrate with family. But then
3:34
Svetlana Medvedeva's private plane, which
3:36
we covered in a separate
3:38
investigation, flies to pick someone up from
3:41
Astrakhan the next day. So
3:43
there's no doubt at all. Let's
3:46
go back to 2017 and see what
3:50
Dmitry Medvedev's mysterious island looks like.
3:53
It's winter. No roads lead to this place. We are in
3:56
the Kamyzyak District of Astrakhan Region,
3:59
the southern part of the region, in the Volga Delta.
4:01
It's the best place for fishing in Russia,
4:04
possibly even in the world. A person who
4:06
doesn't have their own helicopter or
4:08
can't find a boat can't get here.
4:10
There are no roads within a radius of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
4:13
You can see the Gandurina River and a once
4:16
wild island
4:17
whose landscape was completely transformed at
4:20
Dmitry Medvedev's whim. Now here there is
4:22
a fishing
4:25
VIP compound hidden from prying eyes. The site covers 27 hectares (about 67 acres). On
4:29
the island, technical facilities are on the right,
4:31
side,
4:32
and on the left is the actual place for Dmitry Medvedev's
4:35
VIP fishing retreat.
4:37
Let's fly straight to the artificial channel and
4:39
we immediately see that the leader of United Russia
4:42
is a big fan of the banya (Russian steam bath) and doesn't deny himself
4:46
that pleasure. And here, the first and largest
4:48
building on the compound is called
4:50
"Pool & Spa."
4:52
Its area is 2,128 square meters (about 22,900 square feet). And from it
4:56
a little bridge leads straight into the water—you can
4:58
run out of the sauna and jump straight into
5:02
The main thing by the river is not to slip. Moving on.
5:04
We see the main house, whose shape echoes
5:07
the shoreline. The building has three wings,
5:09
connected by galleries, with a total area of
5:12
1,668 square meters. Right in front of it is a small
5:15
building on the water; they probably store
5:18
fishing gear there. We also notice a 100-square-meter
5:21
summer kitchen
5:23
— after all, there has to be somewhere to fry
5:25
the pike-perch caught in the river. Next,
5:28
there is a giant helipad, 50 by 50 meters
5:30
(about 164 by 164 feet). Behind it are 8 guest houses, each
5:34
225 square meters
5:37
(about 2,422 square feet). The site on the right, over the two and a half years
5:39
since the filming, has now been
5:41
built up, and there is now a 1,150-square-meter
5:44
restaurant complex for guests.
5:47
The plain-looking building ahead is a 610-square-meter
5:50
service block. After all, there has to be somewhere
5:52
for the numerous staff and
5:54
security personnel to live. Diagonally across the channel, there is now
5:57
a new 500-square-meter bathhouse
6:00
complex.
6:01
Not far from there are several utility
6:03
buildings and a boat hangar with an area of 320
6:07
square meters. How much is all this
6:09
beauty in the Astrakhan backwoods worth? It is easy to estimate,
6:12
although there is nothing to compare it to — well,
6:14
there simply are no comparable properties
6:16
at all. But we got lucky: we can
6:19
see the price in the filings of the Cypriot company
6:22
that financed it. For its implementation,
6:24
they allocated $63 million,
6:28
which at today’s exchange rate is about 5 billion
6:31
rubles. Now, about Alisher Usmanov.
6:35
The brazen video blogger who likes
6:37
to rant and stir up commissioned
6:39
criminal cases against our foundation...
6:41
...hey, redhead, this is about you.
6:43
Let’s discuss why he could be sent
6:47
to the defendant’s bench right now
6:48
together with Dmitry Medvedev, the leader of United Russia (the ruling political party).
6:50
Once again, the publication *Proekt*
6:53
links the offshore company on which the
6:55
compound is registered
6:56
specifically to Usmanov, his employees, and
6:58
his nominees. There really is
6:59
a fairly clear connection there.
7:02
But we do not need all these indirect links and
7:05
qualifications. We are sure that the offshore company
7:08
on which this dacha is registered
7:10
is controlled by, and belongs to, Alisher
7:13
Usmanov. Look at the chain — here it is.
7:15
It was deliberately tangled up, but we
7:17
will sort it out now. The land belongs
7:20
to a Russian company. The Russian company
7:23
belongs to a Cypriot offshore company. The Cypriot
7:25
offshore company belongs to another Cypriot
7:28
offshore company, and that one in turn
7:30
belongs to a firm on the Isle of Man,
7:33
and that Isle of Man firm and
7:34
another Isle of Man firm lead to the final
7:37
link: an anonymous trust, also on the Isle of
7:40
Man.
7:41
Even the Astrakhan cows would know about it
7:43
— you’ve really mixed me up. So, we see an anonymous
7:46
trust: a dead end? Not quite. Take
7:49
note: the last three companies in the chain
7:52
are managed by the same firm, Bridge
7:55
Motors. This is a dedicated management
7:58
company that both created these firms and
8:01
controls them. It provides
8:02
directors, files reports, and handles
8:05
day-to-day management. And this
8:07
management company belongs
8:09
to Alisher Usmanov. This became known
8:12
thanks to yet another offshore leak.
8:14
The British newspaper *The Guardian* published
8:17
documents and correspondence showing
8:19
that Usmanov bought this entire
8:22
management company so that through it he could
8:24
manage his assets and, of course,
8:27
avoid these checks and legal
8:28
complications, because that is exactly where
8:31
the lists of the real beneficiaries of anonymous
8:34
offshore companies and blind trusts are kept. Normally, such
8:38
companies are required to verify the legality and
8:40
origin of their clients’ funds,
8:42
to ensure that
8:43
the law is followed, that money is not laundered, and
8:45
so on. And so Usmanov bought himself
8:48
such a firm, and now he checks himself.
8:51
Very convenient. Usmanov decided: an honest
8:54
businessman, an honest man. But first,
8:56
what exactly does this Bridge Motors deal with?
8:59
It handles the affairs of USM Holdings, the main
9:02
asset of Usmanov, and Metalloinvest. Even
9:05
the company that owns Usmanov’s London
9:07
estate is also registered through
9:11
Bridge Motors in exactly the same way as
9:13
the Astrakhan fishing base. And let me remind you, this is the second
9:17
super-expensive property
9:20
bought by Usmanov but
9:22
used by Medvedev. We talked about the first estate, in
9:25
Znamenskoye on Rublyovka (an elite residential area outside Moscow), in
9:27
the film *He Is Not Dimon to You*. That house, worth 5
9:29
billion rubles, Usmanov simply gave
9:31
to Medvedev’s sham foundation. Here they did it
9:33
a little more cleverly.
9:34
They layered it through four offshore companies, but the essence has not
9:37
changed: it is Medvedev who fishes at the Astrakhan dacha.
9:40
“I came for the fish, you see,”
9:44
“big fish,”
9:46
“really big fish, you see.” And this is a bribe
9:49
that the leader of United Russia,
9:52
who served both as president of the country and
9:53
as prime minister, received from an oligarch.
9:56
I am sure this infuriates you just as much
9:59
as it does me. Our real response, in which
10:01
everyone can take part,
10:02
is to defeat the United Russia party.
10:04
Sign up for Smart Voting — our
10:07
shared project designed to
10:09
sink United Russia candidates and help their
10:12
opponents. Share this video,
10:14
campaign among your friends and acquaintances, and
10:16
subscribe to our channel.
10:18
They tell the truth here.