By 2017, according to the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Choles had become a fixture on the Moscow social circuit, driving Ferraris and travelling first-class or by private jet. The transformation, Navalny says, is due to Choles’ parentage – he is the son of President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov. Choles moved to Britain with his mother, Peskov’s first wife, during the 1990s and later took the surname of his British stepfather, according to Navalny. While many rich Russians in the last two decades have left humble beginnings in Russia to live the lives of millionaires in the west, according to Navalny, Choles went the other way. Navalny also alleged Peskov and Navka spent their honeymoon on one of the world’s most expensive yachts, the Maltese Falcon.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2017 03:00 UTC