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A former Russian parliamentarian and businessman is attempting to restore the Russian monarchy that ended about a century ago by buying several islands for hundreds of millions of dollars from the island republic of Kiribati.
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Anton Bakov, who is the head of the Monarchist Party in Russia, wants to create an “alternative Russia” through the purchase of three uninhabited islands from the government for Kiribati for about US$350 million, where he would build hotels and resorts, Radio New Zealand reported Monday.
“This is the desire not only of the heir of the Russian throne but also a great number of Russian patriots who are not happy with Putin's regime and would like to have their revival of Romanov's empire visible — as an alternative Russia,” he told the radio in an interview.
In 2011 he created the "Imperial Throne," an unrecognized nation with no territory ruled by Emperor Nicholas III, BBC reported. Russia's monarchy was overthrown in 1917 with the Bolshevik Revolution.
This time around “alternative Russia,” he said, would be ruled by 64-year-old German noble Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, who is allegedly a direct descendant of Alexander II.
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The idea is supported by "a great number of Russian patriots who are not happy with Putin's regime," according to Bakov’s wife.
The Kiribati government confirmed receiving the proposal from Bakov and it is currently under consideration. The idea has received the support of former Kiribati President Teburoro Tito, who thinks it would be a driver for tourism in his tiny country.
However, some have warned against the idea. Sitiveni Halapua, a Pacific development specialist, told Radio New Zealand that he found the idea "very strange" and "scary."
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