FACT CHECK: Viral Image Claims To Show Vladimir Putin’s House In Sochi, Russia
A viral image shared on Facebook purportedly shows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s house in Sochi, Russia.
Verdict: False
The image shows the concept designs of a home titled “Putin House,” not a real home that Putin owns.
Fact Check:
The April 7 Facebook post, which has been shared over 9,500 times, features a screen grab of a tweet showing two images of a white house rising above the treetops of a forest. “Putin’s house in Sochi, Russia designed by Roman Vlasov #EvilBuildings,” reads the tweet’s caption.
The pictured home, however, does not actually belong to Putin. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the house is actually a concept design created by architect Roman Vlasov called “Putin House.” (RELATED: Does This Photo Show Vladimir Putin’s Daughter Receiving A COVID-19 Vaccine?)
“The Russian architect and designer Roman Vlasov has envisioned PUTIN HOUSE, a fantastic conceptual house design nestled among a forest in Sochi the largest resort city in Russia, or a story about what his villa might look like,” the images’ description reads on Amazing Architecture, a website dedicated to “publishing architectural projects for architects and students.”
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Several images of the alleged home can also be found on Vlasov’s Instagram page, all with captions that read, “PUTIN HOUSE or a story about what his villa might look like.” The captions and the hashtags seemingly indicate that the images are concept designs he created, not pictures of a real home. Other images on his page and on Amazing Architecture appear to show a similar home on a different planet
“Yes, I am the author of the project,” said Vlasov in an email to Check Your Fact. “And in my instagram account there is a description for this work. And it says that this is my vision of the house of the President of my country, Vladimir Putin. I have not written anywhere that this house is his property.”
The Russian president does have an official residence on the Black Sea called Bocharov Ruchey near the city of Sochi, according to Business Insider. The house, or any of his other residences, do not appear to resemble the image shared on Facebook, according to photos shared by Russia Beyond.
