The French aristocrat and conservative politician who paired up with a blacklisted Russian oligarch to build amusement parks in the Russian-annexed territory of Crimea and Moscow defended his plans on Saturday and lambasted EU sanctions as a “reign of terror,” reports RFI.
Philippe de Villiers, the founder of the widely popular Puy du Fou theme park near the western city of Nantes and leader of the eurosceptic Movement for France party, announced his plans with Konstantin Valerevich Malofeev on Friday.
The Puy du Fou park was named the world’s best amusement park two years ago and and attracted 1.7 million visitors last year.
Villiers, 65, says he hopes to replicate its success in Moscow and on the Crimean peninsula in a joint venture with Malofeev, a banker and prominent personality in Russian orthodox conservative circles who embraces expansionist ideologies.
Melofeev, 50, is expected to contribute at least 420 million euros to the creation of the two parks that will be dedicated to the history of Russia and the Black Sea.
Russian media reported that the “Tsargrad” parks will not be just a place for fun, but rather an immersion into the history of Russia.
Read more of this report from RFI.