A BURLY East European “minder” sent a Sun reporter and photographer packing when they tried to investigate a mysterious Russian oligarch’s derelict £2.8million mansion.
Billionaire Alexander Mosionzhik has angered residents with his plans for the sprawling 30-acre Wymers estate he has bought on the outskirts of the posh Buckinghamshire village of Marlow Bottom.
First, he wanted to surround it with a 6ft high pallisade metal fence, which furious locals described as an “eyesore” and “like the Berlin Wall in our village”.
Then after agreeing to put up a less-obtrusive chain link fence, he had an application to use an outbuilding on the estate for residential purposes turned down by Buckinghamshire Council.
When we walked down a public footpath beside the eight-bedroom house, with broken windows and some walls looking near to collapse, the security guard soon appeared.
Bearing a passing resemblance to new world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and wearing a yellow high-vis jaqcket, he beckoned our reporter and photographer over.
When they identified themselves as “Press”, he made no reply but just pulled out a mobile phone and then began speaking into it in another language.
Eventually, he handed the phone to our reporter who found himself talking to a woman.
She asked him what he wanted and said he had no right to be there.
When our man pointed out he and his colleague were on a public footpath, she said there was nothing to see and suggested they leave.
Our reporter said they were investigating complaints about the estate, but she replied he must have made a mistake because there had been no complaints.
“Everybody is happy,” she said, before again suggesting that he and the photographer should leave.
But many residents in leafy Marlow Bottom, where terraced houses cost £507,000 and detached homes more than a million, are far from happy despite Mr Mosionzhik backing down over his “Berlin Wall” fence.
Nobody seems to have met or know much about the oligarch, who used to be the chairman of the Russian oil trading company Nafta Moskva, and many are concerned about what he may be planning.
Some fear that the high fences he has now erected around his estate, where herds of muntjac deer used to roam freely, could upset the local ecology.
Simone Poli, 84, said: “The original design was horrendous and I still don’t know why he had to fence off the whole woodland rather than just putting a barrier around the house.
“It looks to me like natural habitats are being invaded.”
Steve Pack, 46, added: “You see lots of deer in these fields and worrying what would happen to them was a big motivation for us to get involved.
“I was a bit concerned when I saw all the machinery they had out to clear the woods and put the fence up.”
Sales consultant Phil Allen, 44, who was out walking with his two dogs, told us: “They have sent in bulldozers to rip out a lot of the bushes and small trees which has turned it into a sea of mud.
“I’ve been walking past the house for the last 35 years, but now I do tend to avoid it.”
One resident of Andrews Way, just yards from the estate, also raised fears about the wildlife.
The man, who didn’t want to be identified, said: “We had a muntjac deer come in our garden a few days ago.
“That never used to happen – so you have to ask yourself why they are coming this way.”
But a woman living a few doors away said: “I really can’t see any problem – it doesn’t worry me at all.
“It’s just a few of the older residents who are getting themselves upset over this.”
There is some suspicion of Mr Mosionzhik just because he is Russian
Local neighbour
Another neighbour in Ragmans Close, whose garden overlooks the estate, admitted: “I was upset about the original plans for the fence.
“But when Mr Mosionzhik realised how angry people were, he voluntarily agreed to change the design. I’ve no problems with it now.”
In a “peace-making” letter to local residents, Alexander Nicholson of London PR agency Jbp told them: “The house has long been vacant and is in a poor state of repair, having also suffered an arson attack and break-ins over the years.
“It is our intention to bring it up to modern standards.”
He claimed that the new fence would replace “an existing broken-down fence which has fallen into extreme disrepair” and assured them it would not cut off any public rights of way.
The fence’s position was also being changed to set it further back behind existing hedges, making it less visible from the outside.
As for claims that they had destroyed existing shrubland, Mr Nicholson insisted: “By pruning, cutting back dead wood, ivy, clearing debris and removing excessive weed growth, we hope to ensure better growth, disease prevention and overall vitality of the land in years to come.
“We have appointed very knowledgeable landscape designers, who will ensure the land is greatly improved, balanced and corresponds to the highest standards.”
One elderly resident of Ragmans Close, which backs on to the estate, said: “There is some suspicion of Mr Mosionzhik just because he is Russian, which is not the most popular country at the moment.
“I was worried about the effect these changes would have on local wildlife.
“But I don’t believe there has really been a problem. And so long as he doesn’t build a helipad at the end of my garden, I’m not too concerned any more.”
