Ozero

Coordinates: 60°45′26″N 30°5′48″E / 60.75722°N 30.09667°E / 60.75722; 30.09667

Ozero (Russian: О́зеро, lit. lake) (full name: дачный потребительский кооператив «Озеро», Dacha consumer cooperative "Ozero") is a dacha housing cooperative associated with Vladimir Putin's inner circle.

History

Dacha cooperatrive Ozero was instituted on November 10, 1996 by Vladimir Smirnov (head), Vladimir Putin,Vladimir Yakunin, Andrei Fursenko, Sergey Fursenko, Yury Kovalchuk, Viktor Myachin, and Nikolay Shamalov. The society united their dachas in Solovyovka, Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, on the eastern shore of Lake Komsomolskoye on the Karelian Isthmus, near Saint Petersburg, Russia. Prior to formal establishment of Ozero cooperative Vladimir Putin already acquired property on the banks of lake Komsomolskoye. Other group members bought up more land around this area and built a number of villas close to each other. A bank account (Settlement Account No. 180461008) linked to this cooperative association has been established which allowed for money to be deposited and used by all account holders. This mechanism allowed for wealth sharing among co-owners in accordance with the Russian Law on cooperatives.