Singer arrested after video mocking Vladimir Putin's '£1bn palace' goes viral as he backs Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny

A SINGER has been arrested in Russia after making a music video mocking Vladimir Putin over allegations that he secretly owns a palace on the Black Sea worth up to £1billion.

Roman Tumanov, 25, said he had been “completely outraged” after details about the palace were revealed in a documentary by jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny.



Calling himself Roma TMNV, he made the song ‘Aquadisco’, named after one of the reported features of the palace.

An aquadisco is a type of large water fountain illuminated by lasers and other lights.

The estate also reportedly boasts a pole-dancing boudoir, a casino, and a secret tunnel to the beach. 

There is also reportedly a cinema, ice hockey rickey, and helicopter landing pads as well as grounds roughly 39 times the size of Monaco.

Putin has previously denied owning the palace, which is located near the resort town of Gelendzhik.

The Kremlin has said it in fact belongs to Arkady Rotenberg, a billionaire construction tycoon and childhood friend of Putin's.

The lyrics of Tumanov's song read: "Ice hockey stick in hand / Tobacco in hookah / Let's bug Lyokha [Navalny] / [Palace] is awesome,

"Church is awesome / Two pads for helicopter / Grabbed a bottle / Friend grabbed a girlfriend,

"Do not use 282 [article 282, law against incitement] / Vova [Putin] invite me,

"Energy is here / Vova is with us like a teenager / Black Mercedes AMG / Gelenwagen driving to Gelendzhik,

"Lived through all in a bunker / Moved here for residence / To our party arriving / Cumberbatch, Trump and Kennedy,

"To aquadisco huh? This is aquadisco disco disco yes,

"Aquadisco ha."

Tumanov, who is based in the western city of Saratov, had also previously attended a rally in support of Navalny.

The video amassed more than 840,000 views after it was posted online, and Tumanov later told fans he had been detained and taken to a police station.

He was subsequently fined £200 by a judge, but has vowed to continue his protest. 

“I express my opinion, and I believe that all musicians are simply reflecting on the reality,” he said. 

"I grew up in a one-room flat with my mother, and I am now living with my wife in a one-room apartment.

“Of course, I would love to have been to his palace. I was completely outraged, and I expressed my opinion.”

Navalny last month returned to Russia from Germany, where he had spent the previous five months recovering after being poisoned with nerve agent Novichok in an attempted assassination.

After landing back in Russia, Navalny was arrested and convicted on charges widely believed to be politically motivated, prompting protests in more than 100 cities across the country.

Tumanov said he admired Navalny for returning to Russia despite knowing he would almost certainly face arrest.

“This person is worthy of respect for the fact that he was able to do this and showed people that they should not be afraid,” he said.







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