The Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has published aerial footage of a hidden island mansion near the Finnish border allegedly used by Vladimir Putin as a holiday retreat.
The mansion, known as Villa Segren, is located on a picturesque 50-acre site on and around Lodochny island in the Gulf of Finland. It was used as the backdrop for a Soviet TV adaptation of Sherlock Holmes filmed in the 1980s.
Drone footage of the site shows several large new houses, including the newly extended villa, a helipad and a pier. Navalny said the site was heavily guarded, including by a large fence, and that locals were barred from the area.
In the video, Navalny alleges the property is owned by close friends of the Russian president, but is for his use.
“All the evidence clearly points towards one of Vladimir Putin’s standard corruption schemes. His personal assets are registered under the names of his close friends who have become fabulously wealthy over the last 17 years,” said Navalny in the video, which had been viewed almost 2 million times on Thursday, less than 24 hours after it was uploaded to YouTube.
The land the property was built on is rented from Sergei Rudnov, a businessman, according to Navalny. Rudnov is the son of a friend of Putin’s, and also worked for the Russian cellist Sergei Roldugin, who has known Putin for years and was linked in documents leaked in the Panama Papers to offshore companies with cash flows of up to £1.4bn.
In a similar investigation into the ownership of Villa Selgren earlier this month, the liberal TV news channel Dozhd published design sketches for the interior of the “secret dacha”, which show a large indoor swimming pool and a richly furnished office with the double-headed Russian eagle engraved in gold above a desk.
Work to fit out the property for Putin’s use began after 2010 and the president “has vacationed there at least once”, Dozhd reported.
Navalny’s anti-corruption investigations have targeted a string of high-profile Russian officials, as the opposition figurehead continues to campaign to be allowed to run in presidential elections scheduled for next year.
A video about luxury properties allegedly linked to the prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev – including a 5bn rouble (£66m) mansion near Moscow and a vineyard – has been watched more than 24 million times on YouTube since it was uploaded in March.
The issue became a rallying cry at two subsequent nationwide protests organised by Navalny that were attended by tens of thousands of people. He was sentenced to 30 days in prison after calling for supporters to attend an unsanctioned rally.
At the time, Medvedev’s spokesperson said it was “pointless to comment on propaganda attacks from an opposition figure and a convict”.
There has been no official reaction to Navalny’s latest claims. The Kremlin did not respond when contacted by Dozhd.
Villa Selgren is not the first country mansion linked to Putin, with former Kremlin insiders alleging a palace built near the Black Sea coast was also for the personal use of the Russian leader.
Navalny has repeatedly accused top Kremlin officials of graft and of amassing illicit fortunes. A fortnight ago he detailed the lavish lifestyle of Nikolay Choles, the son of Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov.