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'We didn't know we were buying Zelensky's house,' says the Russian couple who became owners of the luxury villa in Crimea
2023-11-01 16:56:04 / BOTA
A Russian couple who just bought a luxury property on the coast of the Crimean peninsula said they had no idea they became the owners of the home formerly occupied by Ukrainian President Zelensky.
The sea-view apartment previously owned by Zelensky's wife on the Russian-annexed peninsula sold at auction for nearly $400,000.
The president's wife Olena Zelenska was forced to abandon the villa in the village of Livadia since 2014 after the annexation by Russia, when it was still unknown, but she bought it back a year ago for about $150,000, according to Ukrainian media.
But new owners Olga Lipovetskaya, 50, and husband Ivan Tuchkov are already very happy with their purchase and say they have no idea who the previous owners were.
They are reported to have told Russian media: "We didn't know the previous history of the house, or that it had been Zelensky's property, but they have no business in Crimea any more."
Tuchkov avoided responsibility by saying that all decisions were made by his wife Olga, writes the British network TheSun.
"I have nothing to do with the purchase, everything was decided by my wife. I wanted to buy it for personal reasons, but I'm still happy for him that he found the house at the right price."
The more than 400 square meter apartment has a huge balcony overlooking the Black Sea.
Its residents also have views of Livadia Palace, formerly the holiday home of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, executed by Lenin's Bolsheviks in 1918.
To enter the building visitors have to climb a spiral staircase with small lion statues.
Their apartment is located on the fifth floor of the building and also has parking space in the imperial style complex.
But the couple say they are not happy with the attention they are getting after the auction as Olga says she has to turn off her phone from the many calls after the auction.
She complained on social networks that they were just an "ordinary family looking for an apartment, so that their children could live in the wonderful climate of Crimea."
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