March 20, 2025

Necropolis for Putin's Elite Replaces Forest


Necropolis for Putin's Elite Replaces Forest
Vladimir Putin and Denis Manturov. The Presidential Press and Information Office, Wikimedia Commons.

A church complex featuring an underground necropolis is under construction near an elite village in the Moscow Oblast, closely associated with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who oversees the nation's defense industry.

The investigative project Sistema, produced by Current Time and Radio Liberty, reported that the complex spans 14 acres (6 hectares) near the Klyazma Reservoir. It includes a church that can hold 400 worshippers, a spiritual and educational center, a playground, and parking for 90 vehicles. Beneath the main church, an underground necropolis contains burial vaults intended for major donors, and a helipad has been constructed adjacent to the facility.

The complex is situated near the upscale village of Pirogovo, controlled by the Guta Group, which maintains close ties to Manturov. According to Sistema, Manturov and his family own properties in Pirogovo valued at roughly R10 billion (approximately $115 million).

Manturov first acquired land in the area in 2008, shortly after his appointment as deputy minister of industry and trade. Subsequently, other high-ranking officials and associates of President Vladimir Putin, including Sergei Chemezov, head of state corporation Rostec; Anton Vaino, head of Putin’s presidential administration; and former Putin aide Igor Shuvalov, also purchased real estate there.

Sistema cited a construction contractor who identified Manturov as the initiator of the church complex. Legal entities representing the church’s parish and associated foundation share a registration address in Pirogovo, connected to the Guta Group.

Construction required clearing a forested area outside Pirogovo, including the "Les Pobedy" (Forest of Victory), a grove planted by local residents honoring veterans of the Great Patriotic War. Moscow regional authorities authorized the clearing.

By late 2023, construction expenses on the project had reached R1.6 billion (approximately $20 million), managed through a special fund financed by voluntary contributions. Donations had surpassed R3 billion (approximately $40 million) over the same time period. A contractor told Sistema that funds came not only from Manturov but also from other Pirogovo residents.

Additionally, Sistema reported that Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin may have visited the complex in 2022, along with Manturov's mother and Yulia Kupetskaya, head of the Mytishchi district administration, who facilitated the land transfer to the Pirogovo project.

You Might Also Like

Orthodox Church Rising
  • January 14, 2025

Orthodox Church Rising

The power of the ROC is growing in the government, according to independent publication Verstka.
Ghost of Economy Future
  • December 15, 2024

Ghost of Economy Future

Russian analysts give their forecasts for what the economy might look like in early 2025.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955