Russia’s smallest violin is playing for Putin who apparently only has £477,989 in the bank

Russia’s smallest violin is playing specially for Vladimir Putin after he claimed that he has – only – £477,989 in his bank account.

A real man of the people, the president declared that he owns a 1,654 square feet flat in Moscow, another at 829 square feet in St Petersburg, and a Soviet Lada off-roader.

As he stands for another term to rule the Kremlin with an iron first, both Western and Russian sources say he has amassed the most impressive fortune in the world from his underground connections with his oligarch cronies.

Looking at his official wealth declaration, Russians would not be able to tell – and in fact, they may be really close to singing Bing Crosby’s ‘Brother, can you spare a dime’ for their president.

It has emerged that Putin somehow forgot to include the sprawling palaces across Russia and luxury yachts he has been linked to in the past.

He is alleged to have about 20 properties, including multiple official residences.

In 2021 an investigation by opposition leader Alexei Navalny – that ultimately got him thrown in a penal colony – said that the president was the secret owner of a vast £1 billion palace on the coast of the Black Sea.

Earlier this week, Metro.co.uk also reported on his hideout near the border with Finland, built on land twice the size of Monaco.

His neighbour – who is still around two and a half miles away – is reportedly the former Chelsea tycoon Roman Abramovich.

As president, Putin has numerous official homes which come with his position.

These include the priceless Kremlin in central Moscow, Novo-Ogaryevo residence outside the city, and Bocharov Ruchey beside the Black Sea in Sochi.

Including his pension from his years as a KGB spy and salary as Russian president, he claimed to have earned £593,537 in the past six years.

‌He had £477,989 in bank accounts, according to his return – and ownership webs have made it difficult to link much else with him.

Often the construction involves his oligarch pals whose Reds-to-Riches fortunes went stratospheric under his repressive rule.

‌One such palace is atop cliffs overlooking the Black Sea in the town of Gelendzhik.

A pole-dancing hookah boudoir, casino, and an ‘aqua disco’ are just some of the features.

‌It has a 16-storey underground complex which has been compared with the lair of a James Bond villain.

Meanwhile, an investigation by Proekt independent media revealed Putin shared another palace north of Moscow at Valdai with his secret partner Alina Kabaeva, where they live like Tsar and Tsarina of Russia.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.