Lukashenko has been the only president of Belarus since he came to power in 1994, in what is widely considered the first and last time free elections were held in the country since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.The residence is reportedly being built in the elite resort town of Krasnaya Polyana on a plot of more than 97,000 square meters. Investigators obtained the purchase agreement for the plot along with Lukashenko's secret orders to transfer ownership of the property from the state of Belarus into the hands of Lukashenko's private associates. The site in Krasnaya Polyana was owned by Belarus from 2009 to 2022, investigators said. Belarusian authorities acquired the land in exchange for Belarusian lands given to Russia in an agreeement signed in May 2009.