In his almost thirty-year career as an architect and entrepreneur, Lanfranco Cirillo has built numerous castles, villas and even entire resorts. He counts 44 of the hundred richest Russians among his clients. Before the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Spiegel praised him as the "lifestyle teacher to the nouveau riche" who brought Italy's neoclassical style to Russia. His firm, Masterskaya, founded in Moscow in 1995, even made it to the final round of the architectural competition to design the new parliamentary centre in Moscow in 2016 before the project was suspended.

Cirillo, who holds dual Italian and Russian citizenship, was born in Venice and has been resident in Russia since 1993. Having made a name for himself in his adopted country, he is celebrated for his magnificent buildings, for his love of fashionable details, the feudal style. Not so in the West, where he has been viewed with suspicion ever since his name became known through the film "Putin's Palace". In that documentary, the journalist and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny described Cirillo as "Putin's architect", builder to the bad guys.

Unsurprisingly, his assets in Europe have now been frozen, without even a court case, let alone a court ruling. We're talking about 150 million euros. After the Russians invaded Ukraine, Italy's tax authorities began investigating Cirillo. He had often visited his daughter, who died of cancer in 2019, in his old homeland. Italy argues that he became liable for tax as a result of the frequent visits. Cirillo tells Weltwoche that the case is an act of Russophobia. He lives in Russia, he says, where he pays taxes according to the rules.

It is indeed remarkable that Cirillo, who has neither a criminal record nor a conviction, is now on Interpol's red list – the same list that Islamic terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was once on.

We talk to him on Zoom in his office in Moscow, where he spends two hours with us.

Weltwoche: Signor Cirillo, you are Italian, you also have Russian citizenship and you built from nothing a highly successful construction company in Russia with 2,000 employees at its peak. You have built for a whole lot of oligarchs, including President Putin. That is why you're known as "Putin's architect" and were recently described as builder to the bad guys. How would you describe yourself? Who are you?

Lanfranco Cirillo: I am a native of Venice and I followed an Italian tradition, which is to emigrate. We Venetians are special, we are born on the water, so we have to journey across the land. That is how I came to Moscow in the early 1990s. With nothing, from a poor background, a simple Italian architect. I found here a blank sheet of paper, a playground, with many wealthy people who didn't know what they wanted. My idea was to teach the Russians the culture and history of my homeland, the lifestyle of Italy. I started to build outside the cities, where the air was fresh and it was safer than in the city, especially for families. The rich Russians were thrilled and wanted houses that we Europeans would describe as castles. With separate buildings for bodyguards and drivers, with mobile garages for summer and winter cars. That's what I, an architect from Italy, gave them.

Weltwoche: So you came to Russia like a traditional Italian artisan of the Renaissance, as a cultural ambassador. To bring something of Italy's grandeur to the East, to a place that was a cultural desert after seventy years of communism.

Cirillo: The opening up, Perestroika, brought an incredible evolution – very attractive for an artist, because you mustn't forget Russia's rich culture: music, literature, theatre . . . The Russians are extremely enthusiastic about culture, and that was a huge opportunity for me.

Weltwoche: You moved to Moscow in 1993 and opened your architectural practice there in 1995. Why Russia? What did you find so fascinating about the country as to make you emigrate there?

Cirillo: For me, Russia was like a case of Africa fever. I felt attracted to it, captivated by a new world that, after seventy years of a bullying communist regime, had begun to unfold, to become liberal. The transition from President Yeltsin to President Putin was also about the politicians enabling the Russian people to start a business, to become richer, more powerful, more prosperous. Russians are very close to each other, though from the outside they sometimes seem a bit cold, closed off. But when they drink and eat, they thaw out and are extremely friendly. Russia is an interesting world.

Weltwoche: So the Russians are like melancholy Italians? What is your most important insight into Russia after almost thirty years in Moscow?

Cirillo: (Laughs) You know, in my eyes, Europe and the West seem rather melancholy at the moment. Last weekend, my brothers came to visit me in Moscow. We went out for dinner and they looked around in amazement, asking, "What's going on here? Why is everything lit up? Why are there so many people on the streets? Why is business booming?" I told them that this is normal here, that here in Russia we have foreign visitors, light, heat and power. Nobody is saving energy here like in Italy, where they seem to be switching off the street lights. Life goes on here. The melancholy tends to be limited to Russian literature.

Weltwoche: Is the war in Ukraine not affecting people's daily life at all?

Cirillo: Of course, the Russian population has been preoccupied by the situation since the start of the military operation a year ago. The middle classes, and the upper classes too, were initially afraid. Consequently, the first thing they did was to get their family to safety as best they could. Many Russians have a house in France, Italy, Germany. And so some of them left Russia. But after three or four months they understood the obstacles they faced abroad. For example, blocks are being put on their bank accounts in Europe. How are they supposed to pay for their lives there, then? That is real Russophobia. As far as I see it, there are three factors that unite people: culture, religion, sport. But when I see how a Russian singer is prevented from performing or a Russian ballerina is expelled from the ballet ensemble, how Russian pianists are excluded instead of invited to play, then the pressure is obviously being directed against an entire population. Against civilians who neither understand nor have anything to do with politics. In Europe and America, Russians have had 365 billion dollars frozen. Why? Because they are Russians.

Weltwoche: What impact are the sanctions having in Russia?

Cirillo: The latest figures show that the Russian economy grew by 0.3 per cent in 2022. That's not much, but it's not a disaster either, given the circumstances. Ninety-two per cent of European companies that were active in Russia before February 2022 are still here. Goods continue to come in from all over the world, including America, by the way. Every day I drink Nespresso, Swiss coffee. Every morning I eat my Italian biscuit, as I have done since I was a small boy. And you mustn't forget, countries like China and India as well as Africa and South America continue to work with Russia. Their representatives come here to do business. And these businesses are flourishing, by all accounts.

Weltwoche: So life is more or less normal?

Cirillo: Yes, as long as you don't read the newspapers or watch television.

Weltwoche: What do Russians – what do your friends – say about the war in Ukraine? How do they explain it? Do they think it's good, bad? Do people believe their president, the political leaders?

Cirillo: Most Russians were surprised by the military operation a year ago. Then they noticed how the West was reacting, how Western countries were training the army in Ukraine, sending weapons and supporting the troops – which had in fact been happening for quite some time already. After some initial scepticism, many are now convinced that Putin did the right thing. But what is interesting is that there is no phobia against Westerners here. Foreigners are not accosted in a bar if they're speaking Italian. In the West, people are taking action against Russian civilians, but in Russia they're not taking action against Western civilians. My impression is that Russians are not that interested in these conflicts any more. The newspapers in the West are full of them, but people here are concentrating on their lives. Many have had to make changes.

Weltwoche: When Putin announced the partial mobilisation, our newspapers reported that people were running away from Russia, that there was a mass exodus, that Putin's support was imploding. How did you see that from your perspective?

Cirillo: If we're talking about disinformation, fake news may have originated in the Soviet Union, but Western media may well be more familiar with it today. (Laughs) The Russian leadership is stable; the majority of people support the president and trust him.

Weltwoche: Has support for President Putin increased since the start of the war?

Cirillo: The Russian people view themselves as Russian, the people love their motherland. No one has ever been able to take Russia. The Russian people suffered a lot in the 20th century; the Great November Revolution, communism. When the Berlin Wall came down, people thought the world was free, countries would now be friendly to each other. Of course, the US won the Cold War, in a sense. Unfortunately, the West now seems to be keen on rebuilding the Berlin Wall of yesteryear in Kiev. At least that is how many Russians feel. They see this as a step backwards, one that also harms Europe. Because Russia is a Christian country – it was, is and will remain a part of Europe. Europe and Russia together are strong.

Weltwoche: President Putin is being referred to in the media as "Vladimir the Terrible". They're saying he is the most evil dictator ever to have existed on this planet. The great ogre, a monster and imperialist. You know the president. What do you think of these descriptions?

Cirillo: Putin is, in the eyes of most Russians, a president who loves his country. What people in the West don't understand is that Russia is a – I don't know how to say it in English – a stato di diritto.

Weltwoche: A state under the rule of law.

Cirillo: Yes. The laws are strict and they are applied. Everything is highly regulated. The idea that Putin is a tsar, an arbitrary ruler, is very far from reality. Putin is not fundamentally hostile to the world. But I do think America sees China, Russia and Europe as economic competitors, as adversaries in that sense.

Weltwoche: Don't forget the fourth adversary: America is, sadly, its own worst enemy.

Cirillo: In the eyes of the Russians, America is not an enemy, nor is Ukraine. I've been working with two lawyers here for years. A few months ago I found out by chance that they are Ukrainians. And? It changed nothing. The connection between the two countries runs deep, Ukrainians and Russians have always lived together.

Weltwoche: How has Russia changed in the last thirty years? Prominent media, such as the Economist, write that Russia is now a dictatorship.

Cirillo: When I came here thirty years ago with one bag, I didn't have enough money to pay for a taxi. I travelled around Moscow by metro. Then I made it in my career, eventually employing around 2,000 people, with a turnover of hundreds of millions of euros. I'd started from nothing. And I became architect to the most important personalities in this country because I did my job well. That is liberalism, if you like, the American dream in Russian.

Weltwoche: Russia as a state under the rule of law: You call it "liberalism" – critics would immediately throw counter-argument after counter-argument at you. Take journalist Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned for criticising the regime. Take NGOs, which are banned if they don't toe the line. Take Putin, who has declared himself ruler for life. What do you say to these arguments?

Cirillo: I am not saying that Putin is a god. And of course there are problems in Russia, like in every country in the world; even failures. But fundamentally, it seems to me that efforts are being made to make the country work.

Weltwoche: Have you never regretted emigrating to Russia?

Cirillo: No. Russia is a country where you can live well if you follow the laws. The negative thing is the weather. In winter it's quite cold; I'd rather be on a warm island right now. But I can't leave here.

Weltwoche: We'll get back to your case in a minute. First tell us something about President Putin, whom you know personally. What is your impression of Russia's leader, who is public enemy number one in the West?

Cirillo: My impression probably coincides with that of most Russian citizens. The president seems to work hard, he loves sport, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke. Vladimir Putin is a person who seems to care first and foremost about the office he holds. He understands that the world is changing, towards a more multipolar world order. The Indian people want to be Indian and live according to their traditions. So do the Chinese. And the Russians want to remain Russian. There are cultural differences, and that's great.

Weltwoche: You are in favour of diversity.

Cirillo: In the days of the Cold War, it was easy to press home the Western advantage in the rest of the world. In the meantime, China has made a quantum leap in technology. Russia has upgraded in the technological sense. India too, for instance in the banking sector: Indian financial advisors are not infrequently mathematical geniuses, the Ferraris of financial mathematics.

Weltwoche: There are voices in the West that say Putin has massively enriched himself through his regime. They even say he is the richest man in the world. Do you know anything about that?

Cirillo: No, I can't say anything about that.

Weltwoche: You got to know President Putin on a personal level. What surprised, impressed, astonished you when you met him?

Cirillo: We are not friends, I met him in an official setting. People in Russia have respect for him. People in the West think that there is no freedom of speech here, that you are not allowed to say anything. The fact is, everyone expresses their opinion. Including about current developments, the war, about what is happening.

Weltwoche: Will Russia win this conflict? Will Putin achieve his goals? And what do you think his goals are?

Cirillo: I cannot say. The Russian constitution states that Russia cannot use a nuclear bomb unless it is attacked with a nuclear bomb. If you take this last step, it would mean for the world . . .

Weltwoche: . . . the end.

Cirillo: Not necessarily the end. Under Russian law, strategic nuclear missiles cannot be used even if war is technically declared.

Weltwoche: Are you worried that the whole thing could degenerate into a world war, into a nuclear war?

Cirillo: That seems rather unrealistic to me. At the moment, Russia is obviously trying to curb the West's military power.

Weltwoche: This war has also affected you. On 23 February you will be charged in Italy. There is a court case against you in Brescia. Can you explain to us what your case is about? What are you accused of?

Cirillo: The story is simple. Alexei Navalny, this blogger, released a video that made me famous overnight. It said that I was one of the most influential people in the Russian Federation, which is not true. In fact, I am an artisan, an architect who got caught between the political fronts. In his piece, Navalny talks about a resort on the Black Sea that President Putin is supposed to own and that I built. Except that it doesn't belong to President Putin, as I have said several times. Then an Italian court saw that a wealthy Russian with Italian citizenship is involved here. And how could an Italian possibly make money in Russia in a clean way? So they started to investigate. They didn't find what they wanted to find. Nevertheless, the state is now charging me.

Weltwoche: With what?

Cirillo: My case is ultimately one of six million Italian emigrants and around forty million European expats who work abroad and send money home. If I am found guilty, I guess 99 per cent of all expats are guilty too. It's about freedom, about the rights of a person who earns his money honestly in the country where he works, pays proper taxes there and sends the money to his old home country. I am accused of having resided in Italy from 2013 to 2019 without paying taxes. The Italian authorities are exploiting the fate of my daughter, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and died in 2019. However, my daughter also led a cosmopolitan life during this time as a writer and blogger, in New Zealand, South Africa, London, New York and Russia. As recently as 2018, she got married in the Maldives. I accompanied her when she went for medical treatment all over the world, including the USA, Germany and Israel. Yet in Italy, without a court ruling, they seized 150 million euros, mainly belonging to my wife, because I am Russian and built what people are calling "Putin's Palace". Italy has not even requested my extradition, but Interpol have put me on the wanted list. This list contains names like mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro or former terrorist Osama bin Laden – and now Lanfranco Cirillo.

Weltwoche: You have reached the highest level of criminality.

Cirillo: Exactly. I can't understand it. In Italy, a European country, the constitution says someone only goes to prison if they are a danger to the community or they are at risk of repeating a crime. What crime could I repeat? Not paying taxes in Italy? I haven't lived in Italy for thirty years! Sometimes when I look in the mirror in the morning, I ask myself, "If I had built a house or a villa for President Biden or Zelenskiy, would I be where I am now?" Probably not. The truth is, I obviously represent the bad situation between West and East. But this is not politics, this concerns people's lives. I am an architect, I can draw, that's how I earn money. Every year, I sent many millions of euros to Italy for furniture, marble and other materials – a country that is now making my life difficult.

Weltwoche: Will you travel to Brescia to attend the trial? Or will you be represented by your lawyers? How will you conduct this trial?

Cirillo: I would like to represent myself there, but how would I travel there? Interpol has put out an alert for me. My passport was taken from me in Russia, I can't leave the country. Everywhere I went I would be arrested immediately and probably locked up for the rest of my days. The Russian state has not received an extradition request from Italy to date. The international rule says that all documents must be sent from Italy to Russia so that proceedings can be initiated in Moscow to potentially extradite me.

Weltwoche: But nothing was sent to Russia?

Cirillo: A request for cooperation was sent. The Russian answer was, "Yes, this is our citizen, he has lived here for more than twenty years, has always paid taxes, never caused any problems, let alone committed a crime or offence. If you need more information, send us all the documents and we will open a case here."

Weltwoche: Did Italy do that?

Cirillo: No. The Russian officer in charge has asked three times, and I have also inquired. Nothing.

Weltwoche: You believe that you were attacked because you work for Russians, for rich Russians, including for Mr Putin. This castle, Putin's Palace, is a big story in the West. Tell us, what kind of a house is it?

Cirillo: It's not a house, it's a residence. A resort, like large companies use for conferences. Or would you, as a private person, build a house with a conference room for 400 people?

Weltwoche: Hardly.

Cirillo: I think you can see what I'm saying. I have never met Mr Putin in that place and I have never spoken to him about it. It simply has nothing to do with him.

Weltwoche: Who actually lives in the palace? What is the resort used for?

Cirillo: Honestly, I haven't been there in more than ten years, I just don't know.

Weltwoche: To finish off about your case, do you think you have a chance to win the case?

Cirillo: At least the Supreme Court in Rome suddenly – at the end of last week – overturned the confiscation of my Italian assets, most of which are owned by my Italian wife. I firmly believe that truth will prevail in the end and I will continue to fight for that. Because what is happening here is against human rights and tramples on the rights of all people working abroad. I worked honestly and professionally and I earned money in doing so, and I want that back. I want my freedom back. I'm living here de facto like a prisoner. I can't even visit the cemetery where my daughter is buried. It breaks my heart.

Weltwoche: Is Europe destroying its own values in this war against Russia? Like the rule of law, the right to property, the right to a fair trial?

Cirillo: Well, I don't know . . . People like me are just collateral damage.

Weltwoche: How will this situation evolve? Do you think this conflict will end in something even worse than the Cold War? How do you see the future?

Cirillo: The world will be a different place. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the "Kiev Wall" could now separate East and West. Except that in many ways the East is no longer weaker than the West. Seven billion people live in the East, one billion in the West. The technological progress is there, and the East has the necessary resources. As we know, the EU recently passed a law saying that no more cars with internal combustion engines can be produced after 2035. Apparently, the regulators forgot that 60 to 70 per cent of the batteries for electric cars are produced in China. Big companies that produce batteries are also emerging in Russia.

Weltwoche: It was thanks to Russia that Switzerland was granted neutrality at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 during the Napoleonic Wars. Now Switzerland has adopted the EU's sanctions against Russia. How is that going down?

Cirillo: Switzerland was and is a fantastic country, an island in Europe. Many wealthy people are watching the latest developments there very closely. Some people feel sorry that Switzerland wants to give up its neutrality for this conflict. Switzerland could actually be one of the countries that could point to a diplomatic way out of this situation from a neutral position.

Weltwoche: If you could arrange a meeting with all the leaders, with President Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Giorgia Meloni, Olaf Scholz, what would be your recommendation to the West for a way to get out of this terrible situation?

Cirillo: I am an architect, not a politician, and it is therefore not my place to give politicians good advice. Generally speaking, in a critical situation, you would certainly do well in the first instance to take a calm and objective look at your situation, from an outside-in perspective if possible, and to analyse it matter-of-factly. After all, it is the job of politicians to work for the common good and to create a good foundation for the next generation, for the future of the nation's sons and daughters. But politicians often seem to act with a short-term horizon.

Weltwoche: Can you see any politician on the Western side who would be willing to compromise with Putin? On whom are you pinning your hopes for peaceful coexistence?

Cirillo: I'd turn it round and ask you, who know how politics works on the inside and can certainly assess the situation a bit better, to tell me: Which politician do you see as a serious politician, with a vision for the future? Personalities like Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan or Giulio Andreotti seem to be pretty rare, politics today is often more like show business. From a Russian perspective, Western politicians change fast, sometimes coming and going from office within a very short time. Since the beginning of the war, we have had Boris Johnson, Mario Draghi – little stability. Meanwhile, there is even speculation about whether Trump should return or not.

Weltwoche: Could Donald Trump solve the problem? Is the "dealmaker" the West's last hope?

Cirillo: When Trump was elected president in November 2016, I attended a dinner in New York with a high-ranking representative of the financial sector. He asked me what they thought about the United States in Russia. I said: "The elections in the US are ultimately a matter for the 330 million US citizens. Many Russians think that when you elect the president, you have to find the crème de la crème. The top people, morally, intellectually. The absolute elite. And the best American woman is Hillary Clinton? The best American man is Donald Trump?" He laughed, but he agreed with me. I don't think Trump would change much. Maybe the most we can say is it's just to be hoped that he doesn't start a civil war in the United States.