MOSCOW: Ukrainian prosecutors are prepared to file charges against the director of a winery in Russia-occupied Crimea for uncorking a 240-year old bottle for Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Putin and his old friend Berlusconi spent last weekend in Crimea, touring ancient ruins and visiting the peninsula's prized Massandra winery. Massandra, which has been nationalized following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, has rare wine and cherry dating more than 200 years in its collection.
Russian television showed Berlusconi examining a bottle from the cellars and asking the winery's director if he could try it.
Ukrainian media on Friday quoted Ukrainian prosecutors for Crimea saying they are looking into filing embezzlement charges against the winery's director who gave the valuable bottle away to Berlusconi.