From 1996 until his death in April 2007, his primary residence was the Gorki-9 () presidential dacha on the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Road, not far from Barvikha. This allowed quick access to the sanatorium's medical facilities. Dachas The Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Road, colloquially known as the Rublyovka, has long been a site for dachas. During the Soviet period, prominent officials and intellectuals often used state-owned dachas in the vicinity of Barvikha. Writer Aleksey Tolstoy and his family occupied a state-owned dacha in Barvikha from 1938 through his death in 1945. Development Beginning in the late 1990s, Barvikha has become a popular site for the dachas of wealthy residents of Moscow. In contrast to the traditional wood-built dachas, these new, privately owned cottages are often much larger and include mansion-like residences with full amenities and private security. The rapid development has substantially increased property values and has generated some friction with long-term local residents. The Barvikha Luxury Village, a high-end shopping center including Ferrari and Harley-Davidson dealerships, opened in 2005. Deposed national leaders In December 2012, the town was called a "magnet for deposed leaders given asylum in Russia" by a writer for The New York Times, who suggested that Barvikha might become the new home of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad. Former leaders in the town reported by the NYT included Askar Akayev, formerly the president of Kyrgyzstan, Aslan Abashidze of Adjara, and the wife and family members of Slobodan Milošević. After fleeing his country in the wake of the Euromaidan protests in 2014, former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych reportedly moved into a $52 million residence in the town as well. See also Barvikha Castle Zavidovo Novo-Ogaryovo References External links Includes photographs of the Sanatorium Rural localities in Moscow Oblast Odintsovsky District