Russia’s election chief allegedly receives state-owned luxury flat, registers it to granddaughter
Ella Pamfilova was given a free apartment in central Moscow, which she placed in the name of her 27-year-old granddaughter Irina Kezina, according to Team Navalny.
An investigation by Team Navalny indicates that Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, received a state-owned apartment in downtown Moscow without payment. The 237 m² unit at 12 Rochdelskaya Street, protected by the Federal Protective Service, is estimated to be worth roughly 200 million rubles. In 2024 the property was officially registered to her 27-year-old granddaughter, Irina Kezina.
The same nine-storey building contains apartments occupied by other high-ranking figures, including Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Sberbank CEO German Gref, Constitutional Court chairman Valery Zorkin and former Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika. These findings raise concerns about the use of state assets by elite officials.
Why it matters
The case highlights possible misuse of state property by senior officials, fueling concerns over corruption in Russia.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage stresses an investigative expose that raises concerns about elite misuse of state property, while centrist coverage presents the apartment as a state-gift and highlights its timing after Putin’s re-election.
LEFT
Exposes alleged corruption and misuse of state assets by the election chief, emphasizing investigative findings and concerns about elite privilege
CENTER
Reports the free apartment as a state-gift to the election chief, noting its high value and the timing shortly after Putin’s landslide re-election
The left emphasises
- investigation by Team Navalny
- raises concerns about the use of state assets by elite officials
- apartment registered to Pamfilova’s granddaughter
How this story developed
- Sep 10 Ukrainian forces begin new offensive in northern Donetsk, commander says
- Sep 12 Russia will hold a tightly-controlled parliamentary election from Sept 18-20, the first since the 2022 invasion and seen as a barometer of support for the war.
- Sep 15 Ukrainian troops repelled a Russian assault on Lyman.
- Sep 16 Voting has begun, moving the election from planning to execution.
- Sep 19 Putin framed the election as a plebiscite on the war and called on citizens to turn out in support.
- Sep 19 State pollster VTsIOM said Putin’s trust rating hit 74.2% in the week before the election.
- Sep 21 Preliminary results show United Russia winning 355 of the 450 State Duma seats, surpassing its previous 2016 high. The foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway issued a joint statement condemning elections held in Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions seized by Russia as violations of Ukraine's sovereignty. They demanded accountability for those organizing the vote and urged Russia to end its war and accept an unconditional ceasefire. The same period saw France support the removal of oligarch Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list, a move backed by Slovakia and linked to broader negotiations over detained French nationals in Azerbaijan.
- Sep 21 Western allies issued a joint declaration condemning the election as a breach of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
- Sep 24 Reports allege that corporate managers pressured staff to vote for United Russia, suggesting coercion in the electoral process.
In this story
Related stories
16 in this thread