The price of land in the village is likely to reach 7 million rubles ($95,200) by the end of 2021 due to high demand when foreign tourism is limited. According to real estate data agency CIAN, the price of houses in the village is currently between 40 million and 900 million rubles (from about $544,400 to $12.2 million). Demand to buy houses mainly comes from successful businessmen in big cities. Prices here are above the income of an ordinary Russian. Guests gather at a cafe in the village of Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. Photo: Reuters. At the same time, rents have also increased as many people want to temporarily move away from the city to Krasnaya Polyana to work remotely. The local airport is about 40 minutes by car from the village and there is a hiking trail directly from the village. “I love climbing mountains and relaxing at night spots in the village,” said Kirill Ryzhonkov, a data analyst from Moscow. Krasnaya Polyana is a scenic village located in the mountains near the Black Sea. The village is surrounded by mountains, has good quality tap water, fresh air – these are hard to find in Moscow at this time, according to Reuters . The village has about 5,000 inhabitants, similar to many other places in Russia. The difference is that there are many good services with cafes, restaurants, pubs with fast Wifi speed. Some of the restaurants here were built before the Covid-19 epidemic to serve skiers at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Services decided to stay open all year round because residents no longer worried about guests. Guests from Moscow will bring Covid-19. A public workspace mainly serving IT workers and start-ups opened in October 2020. This office owner wishes to turn Krasnaya Polyana into Russia’s Silicon Valley in the future despite the obstacles of the epidemic. “People saw the potential of Krasnaya Polyana: in the same time zone as Moscow, only 2 hours away from Moscow, skiing in winter and sea in summer, as well as the infrastructure for the Olympics before.” Ilya Kreimer, manager of this office said.

As a result, the village becomes a golden place for city dwellers looking to find a peaceful and comfortable “shelter” to rest or work remotely. The demand to buy houses here from people from other regions has pushed housing prices in Krasnaya Polyana to double. Krasnaya Polyana village is located in the mountains near the Black Sea. (Photo: Reuters) The price of land in Russia is calculated in units of sotki – 100m2. Nikolai Rogachev, a shop owner in Krasnaya Polyana, said the price of a sotki of land here has increased from $27,200 to $68,000 during the pandemic. According to him, land prices will continue to increase sharply and may reach 95,200 USD/sotki by the end of 2021, especially when domestic tourism demand increases sharply because people are restricted from leaving the country. According to data from real estate company CIAN, homes in the village range in price from $544,000 to more than $12 million. The demand to buy is mainly from wealthy businessmen in big cities, because the price of houses in Krasnaya Polyana exceeds the financial ability of ordinary Russians. Rents have also increased as many see Krasnaya Polyana as an escape from the city. It has up to 20 cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars, and high-speed internet. The village is only a 40-minute drive from the airport and the traffic is very open, convenient for short stays. “ People have noticed the advantages of the village: It is in the same time zone as Moscow, only 2 hours by flight from the capital, has a ski area in the winter, has a beach in the summer, and good infrastructure “, said Ilya Kreimer, an investor in the village of Krasnaya Polyana. Taking advantage of the potentials gained during the COVID-19 pandemic, Krasnaya Polyana is expected to become Russia’s new “Silicon valley” (high-tech commercial district).

“Sometimes people also advise Putin not to take adventurous trips, but he is very adamant about these hobbies,” Peskov said when asked if people were trying to stop the president. Putin does not take dangerous trips, such as sailing with whales in Kamchatka or flying with Siberian Cranes. According to experts, the Russian President likes to go on adventure tours to show people that he is still healthy and full of life. (Photo: RIA) The above sharing of Mr. Peskov was broadcast on Russia 1 TV channel in the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” by Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin. In addition, according to Peskov, President Putin really loves Siberia, so he likes to have a few days of quiet rest there. “On the other hand, he also went to the Far East many times, he loved Sochi, he loved Krasnaya Polyana, he loved Crimea. In general, Putin is passionate about different lands, but it is true that he likes to have a few quiet days alone in Siberia, this is the truth,” Peskov said. Earlier, at the end of March, President Putin had a weekend in Siberia with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The two also rode in a tracked off-road vehicle, in which Putin drove and Shoigu sat next to him in the passenger seat, and then walked through the Taiga forest. The head of the Russian Defense Ministry also showed the president his wood workshop, where Shoigu carves various works from dried tree stumps. One of the Russian leader’s most prominent travels was a two-day trip to Siberia in August 2017. After that, the Kremlin boss went to the Taiga forest, where he fished, swam, traveled along the river in motorboats, hiked through the mountains, sunbathed and swam. According to a spokesman for the Russian president, Putin dived for two hours in a cold lake in Siberia to hunt a large milkfish. In 2014, on his birthday, Putin took a day off for the first time and flew to the Siberian taiga. On that day, he walked almost 9 km through the mountains. In 2019, a few days before his 67th birthday, Putin treated himself to a vacation in the taiga. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, Putin will spend his birthday with his family and loved ones. However, before that, he had “rewarded” himself a trip to Siberia to enjoy “nature and Russian autumn”. According to RT, Putin’s companion is Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and a number of senior officials. Together they climbed mountains, picked mushrooms and drove off-road to visit primeval forests. The Russian president is known as a lover of nature and outdoor activities, especially in Siberia. Putin often goes to Siberia every year both to rest and to check the environmental situation in the region.