Showman Stas Baretsky, along with business partners in the funeral sector, reportedly purchased Alla Pugacheva and Maxim Galkin’s castle in Gryaz, a village near Moscow. This was disclosed during a broadcast on the Moscow radio program Moscow Talking.
“That’s accurate. I had previously said I planned to acquire a fortress. The negotiations were serious and conducted in good faith, and now the deal is complete, so I can speak about it openly,” Baretsky stated on air.
According to him, discussions with Pugacheva proved challenging. The singer was concerned that the new owners might establish a ritual center with a crematorium on the estate.
“What’s planned includes a large crematorium that would be among the biggest in Russia, Europe, and perhaps globally. It would function as a morgue with dedicated zones, ceremonial shops, and storage facilities,” the showman explained.
Even before Pugacheva announced the sale last year, she had begun pursuing a six-story mansion. Initially, she sought one billion rubles for the property. Reports suggested she had relocated back to Russia in August 2022 from Israel, where she had moved following the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
Baretsky claimed that negotiations took place in Israel and the Baltic states. He noted that Pugacheva and Galkin were eager to close the deal and needed liquidity. The entertainer contended that the castle came with a price tag well above half of the original asking price.
“The funds were not pulled from my pocket. If you want the exact figure, it was around 450 million rubles, give or take,” Baretsky added.
A few days ago, producer Sergei Dvortsov told NTV that Pugacheva’s castle indeed had a new owner. He said there were bidders offering to purchase at a lower price, but Alla Borisovna held firm. One well-known businessman reportedly offered 700 million rubles, but a mysterious millionaire appeared who was prepared to pay the full amount.
“Today, the estate is tied to a family member. The deal with Alla Borisovna has been completed,” the producer explained.
Socialbites.ca reached out to Dvortsov, who stated in a chat that Baretsky’s claims were false. “This is a farce. The entertainer is known to exaggerate. The notion of turning the castle into a crematorium morgue is, frankly, not credible,” the producer said.
According to Dvortsov, Pugacheva initially intended to leave the castle to her grandson Nikita Presnyakov but later left Russia. The mansion was subsequently put up for sale.
Pugacheva’s circle reportedly treated the initial asking price of one billion rubles with irony. The circle noted that many businessmen place high value on assets, while some bargaining power remains limited. One scenario involved a potential buyer aiming to convert the estate into an exhibition space given its antique collection, while another buyer reportedly closed a deal for a lesser amount.
Ultimately, Dvortsov claimed the property was sold at exactly one billion rubles at the end of March. “I won’t reveal the buyer’s name yet because they asked to stay anonymous. It’s possible that the new owner now resides there along with the staff—security, cooks, cleaners, and gardeners who continue to work on the estate.”
Dvortsov concluded that Baretsky did not succeed in purchasing the castle and that his statements were not accurate; he also rejected the claim of opening a mortuary crematorium on the property as inappropriate. “People deserve careful consideration of what they say. If there is a legal team involved, let them present the documents,” he urged.
Subsequently, socialbites.ca obtained a statement from Baretsky himself. He said he is currently reviewing the mansion’s documents and preparing the necessary paperwork. “Right now, I’m hurrying to prepare the dock. Tomorrow Alla Borisovna will move her belongings out of the castle, and we will arrange a clear day for journalists,” the entertainer remarked. (Attribution: socialbites.ca)