The guests were asked to leave their mobile phones at the skating palace, an imposing building that hosts figure skating, ice hockey matches and concerts. The organizers wanted no photographs leaking out on social media, and the VIPs were shielded from the resort's regular staff.

The choice of venue also underscored the close-knit nature of the circle encompassing Putin, his friends from St. Petersburg, and their children.

The Igora ski resort lies about 30 km from the Ozero dacha cooperative. The resort and surrounding plots of land are owned by companies with past or present connections to Shamalov, Kovalchuk and Timchenko.

The owner of Igora itself, according to public records, is a locally registered company called Ozon LLC. Putin's old friend Kovalchuk and his wife and son own 25 percent of Ozon; the other 75 percent is owned by a Cyprus company.

According to resort staff, Putin has been a frequent visitor to Igora - though always staying discreetly in a neighboring compound behind a tall fence. That residence belongs to another company, one fully owned by the Kovalchuk family, according to land records.

Next door are two more plots. These are owned by ZAO Lider, which manages assets for Gazfond -- the company run by Yury Shamalov, brother of Kirill.

The wedding celebrations thus captured an important facet of Putin's Russia: a wealthy and close-knit elite at play, shielded from the gaze of ordinary Russians. Entertainment included an indoor ice-skating display, laser lights, and a mock-up Russian village with performers and cultural exhibits, according to a person who attended.

At one point, an emblem was projected on the snow, showing the names Kirill and Katerina, said another worker. But the worker added: "We are not allowed to talk about this. I can be fired -- you know whose daughter it was."

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