Aleksei Navalny, the Russian anticorruption crusader and foe of President Vladimir Putin, says the alleged son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is living a life of luxury well beyond his apparent means.
In an August 17 blog post titled A Brilliant Father’s Golden Child, Navalny alleges that Nikolai Choles has a garage full of high-end cars at his disposal and routinely travels on private planes and luxury yachts, despite rarely holding down even temporary jobs.
"Nikolai is an example of how in Russia, where 20 million people live below the poverty line, where 70 percent of residents dream of a salary of 45,000 rubles ($750), one can live happily at the highest level and at the same time not have to do anything," Navalny wrote in the post, adding that he had documented Choles’s movements for several years.
Choles, believed to be Peskov's son from his first marriage, moved to Britain in the late 1990s to live with his mother and stepfather, whose last name he took. About six years ago, he moved back to Russi, Navalny said..
Choles has a fleet of cars, Navalny alleges, including a Tesla worth some $150,000. The blog post shows a copy of an alleged traffic citation listing Choles as the owner, one of 116 infractions listed for him for the year.
Choles also has two Moscow apartments, according to the post, which shows several photos of him in various settings, including in a private jet, the first-class cabin on a commercial airline flight, on a yacht, and with the singer Seal.
Navalny also produced a copy of a court document from 2012 showing that Choles had not been paying child support.
Choles and Peskov have yet to comment on the blog post.