Row Over Sale of Stalin's Dacha

The billionaire Russian metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska ignited a political row yesterday after it emerged he is planning to buy a £5.5m dacha that belonged to the former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

The two-storey luxury dacha where Stalin relaxed by the Black Sea is situated in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia republic and Georgian politicians were enraged by news of the intended purchase.

Mikhail Machavariani, the deputy speaker of the Georgian parliament, warned Mr Deripaska, 37, the property would be seized if Tbilisi wrested back control of the rebel region. "You will lose all the millions you invest illegally," he said. "This is Georgian property."

A source at Basic Element, the tycoon's holding company, said Mr Deripaska was not deterred by the threats. "We are maintaining our interest," he told the Guardian.

Tbilisi is irritated by the Kremlin's support for Abkhazia, which has been de facto independent since 1993. Georgia considers all property deals there invalid.

Stalin, who remains a hero in his Georgian homeland, was a frequent visitor at the dacha near Garga in the 1930s.

Perched on a hill overlooking the sea, the building fell into disrepair after Stalin's death and rooms were recently rented to tourists.

Original furniture is still in the building, including an especially short bed for Stalin, who was 5ft 6in (173cm).

The Abkhaz prime minister, Alexander Ankvab, yesterday defended the region's decision to sell the historic dacha.