LOCALS who have discovered they live in the shadow of a ‘secret’ palace linked to Vladimir Putin think it should be shut down.
The neighbours often wondered about all the helicopters taking off from behind the hedgerows and trees on the Kent Sussex border.
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But now it has emerged that Seacox Heath is owned by the Russian state, and is used by diplomats and other dignitaries. The house was donated to the Soviet government by English peer Lord Goschen after World War Two.
Relations between the UK and Russia have frozen since the invasion of Ukraine last year.
Now locals in the area are horrified to learn that the Russian state has a presence in the heart of the community.
Some plucky residents have decided to show their feelings by planting Ukrainian flags in the soil. A ‘F*** you Putin’ sign also appeared.
RAZOR WIRE
Richard Goodman, 76, whose home, Well Cottage, is backed onto the estate, said: “We’ve all been staunchly opposed to them being here.
“As soon as the Ukranian war started, people started putting flags outside – we had people coming from places as far away as Liverpool and Manchester.
The grandfather, who used to work in construction, went on: “I was very naughty and printed a sign saying ‘F*** you Putin’ – I put it there at about 10pm at night and the next day it was gone.
“So that’s when they put razor wire around.
“We used to see limousines with tinted windows and diplomatic plates coming and going.
“This place is a weekend retreat for them now – they hardly ever come down.
“In the summer months you would get coaches coming down on a Friday afternoon for a party and that’s about it.
“There have been rumours that all the houses opposite are full of British intelligence officials trying to intercept the telephones.”
Zara Connelly, 34, said: “I’m struggling to understand why the U.K. government is allowing them to stay here.”
The schoolteacher, from Hawkhurst, said: “Rishi Sunak has been a great supporter of Ukraine, which is great, but then he’s perfectly happy with the Kremlin owning property right here in the countryside.
“We sometimes see the helicopters flying overhead as they’re dropping people off in the grounds.
“It’s absurd. There were plenty people round here who took in Ukrainian families when the war started. It’s just an insult to them.”
INAPPROPRIATE
Dad-of-two Paul Mahon, 68, added: “Various bits went up for sale after the war and I understand that Russia bought it up.
“During the Cold War I’ve heard it was a bit frosty because of everything that was going on – everyone was a bit uncomfortable with it.”
The retired gas engineer went on: “But it wasn’t until the Ukraine invasion that it ramped up.
“Some people began to think it was a bit inappropriate having Russia on our doorstep.
“That’s when they put all the razor wire up around the property.
“I think they were aware that certain sections of the community are not very happy with them being here now.”
Not everyone in Hawkhurst is opposed to the presence of a Kremlin bolthole, however.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “We used to sell eggs and the caretaker would come over to buy them.
“He was always very nice. He just wants to live his life like anyone else.
“He comes out, mows the grass verge and gets his leaf blower out.
“I saw him in Tesco after the Ukraine stuff kicked off and he was keeping his head down a bit.
“But they’ve been good neighbours to us – never had a problem with them.”
Alex Linton, a 33-year-old IT contractor with a partner and two children, said “I live near Hawkhurst and this is news to me – I never guessed we had Russian Embassy staff living in our community.
“To be honest it’s a real shock – with what’s happening in Ukraine, it makes me angry to think we are making the Russians welcome here, right in the middle of Kent.”
IT’S DISGRACEFUL
Another resident, Eliza Hart, 23, said “I drive up and down that road so much, but had no idea what was there.
“I thought it was just houses along there but to hear what it actually is is quite a surprise.
“It’s quite crazy really to think you can live somewhere for so long and not really know what or who is living in the same area.”
Engineer Paul Hurst, from Flimwell, said “I’d have said it was completely made up, but then I heard a rumour about it, so to find out it’s true is a bit mental.
“It’s hidden away pretty well with all the woodlands and no signs on the road, but I guess why would you signpost it?
“What’s going on out there in Ukraine right now is disgraceful, so I hope whoever is going in and out of that embassy are doing whatever they can to help.”
One resident near Delmonden Lane, which is found a stone’s throw away from the site, said: “I could faintly see the building, but had no idea what it was.
“I’ll drive past the entrance every day and not have a clue what’s there.
“It’s a bit shocking, especially with what’s going on, that it’s so close to home.”
On social media, a local resident calling themselves Knackers wrote “Allow the ‘diplomats’ a flat with dodgy cladding and hand the mansion over to Ukrainian refugees.”
Mouthy wrote “I’ve known of it since the 70s – I went to a school with a guy who lived in the grounds (his father was employed there). He was the first lad in our year to pass his driving test, as he’d learned on the property.”
Rusty In Maidstone wrote “Flimwell and Hawkhurst, which straddle the border between Kent and East Sussex…similar to Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk with Russia. Never made that link before. Truly shocking.”
There was nearly a diplomatic incident in the area in 1999 when dogs from the Russian owned estate were said to have attacked sheep on nearby land.
The Guardian reported that around 50 ewes were killed and many more injured during the spate of attacks.
A local farmer threatened to shoot the Russian dogs on sight. At the time the Foreign Office said that the dogs did not enjoy diplomatic immunity.
The matter was later resolved after a meeting between a Russian official, a local farmer and police.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
In August this year Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced 22 new sanctions on individuals and businesses supporting Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned Brits not to travel to Russia.
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