Kremlin Corruption Watch? Putin spokesman’s USD 620,000 timepiece sparks graft claims

Opposition activists claim the watch Dmitry Peskov wore was four times his annual salary 

It's been dubbed by Russian media as a wedding of the century. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov wed over the weekend to former champion figure skater Tatiana Navka. Pictures of the couple exchanging vows quickly spread through social media.

But it wasn't the bride dancing in her flip-flops which sparked an outcry during the ceremony but this watch Peskov was sporting — worth an estimated USD 620,000.

The watch, with a skull on its face, is reportedly worth four times Peskov's annual salary. Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny took to twitter to question how exactly the Kremlin spokesman afforded such an item.

ФБК выяснил, что часы, в которых Песков был на свадьбе, стоят 38 миллионов рублейhttps://t.co/TM16jfmgTy pic.twitter.com/JKGnEr21yl

— Лентач (@oldLentach) August 2, 2015

In response, Putin's spokesman was quick to defend himself. He told Russia's RBC news agency that it was a wedding day gift from his bride. But bloggers were quick to debunk this claim.

They claimed to have uncovered a picture on Peskov's daughter's instagram account from several months ago — where he is spotted wearing what appears to be the same watch.

#Putin spokesman #Peskov with $670k watch, claims it's a wedding gift. Liar. Was photographed wearing it 15 wks ago. pic.twitter.com/T9f3ltVPyu

— Paul Niland (@PaulNiland) August 2, 2015

Read also Vladimir Putin named corrupt person of the year

The wedding itself was also a luxurious affair. It was held at the most expensive hotel in Sochi, where the price of a room can cost up to USD 3,250 per night. 

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