Moscow (CNN) Vladimir Putin's newly-married press spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has become the focus of angry corruption allegations after wedding photographs circulating on social media showed him kissing his bride while wearing a wristwatch estimated to cost more than $600,000 -- several times more than his official Kremlin salary.

Russia's most prominent opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, jumped on the scandal, repeatedly re-tweeting the photo, snapped at the wedding ceremony in Sochi, along with a magnified image of the luxury timepiece -- a Richard Mille RM 52-01 "Skull" watch , of which fewer than three dozen are said to have been made.

"The watch of the newly-wed Peskov costs more than your apartment," anti-corruption campaigner Navalny wrote in his online blog . "The happy groom has been working for the State since 1989, and couldn't earn so many millions legally."

But the Russian President's spokesman denied the wristwatch was evidence of corruption , saying it was a merely a wedding gift from his wife.

Peskov, 47, married Tatiana Navka, a former Olympic figure skater, at the weekend in a lavish ceremony at one of Russia's most luxurious hotels, the Rodina or "Motherland," owned by billionaire oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

Спасибо, что есть Вы у меня!!!! A photo posted by Tatiana Navka (@tatiana_navka) on Aug 2, 2015 at 1:55am PDT

Speaking to the Kremlin press corps on Monday, Peskov said he regretted that his wedding had turned into such "big news," adding: "I would have preferred to have it all without any media gossip.

"Wives' gifts to husbands and husbands' gifts to wives can hardly have anything to do with anti-corruption activity," he said.

It's not the first time the Kremlin, which says it is fighting corruption in Russia, has been confronted with allegations of extravagant expenditure.

A 2012 report by leading opposition figures, including Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated outside the Kremlin earlier this year, detailed allegations of how Peskov's boss, Putin, had 15 helicopters, 4 yachts, and 43 airplanes at his disposal.

The report, titled " The Life of a Galley Slave " also alleged that Putin owned at least 11 wristwatches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Kremlin denied the allegations.

In an interview with the Russian-language version of Tatler magazine, Peskov's new bride, Tatiana Navka, confirmed she gave the Kremlin spokesman the controversial watch as a gift.

"I am an Olympic champion, I work hard, including all summer long. I earn money myself, so I can afford to give a good present," Navka told the magazine.

"Before the wedding, I had a question about what to give to my loved-man and I decided to buy this beautiful watch," she said.

But the storm of protest on social media has continued unabated.

"Why are you making people angry with a 37 million ruble watch?" asks one blogger on Instagram, "Peskov is the face of Putin. You should be helping sick children instead."

Another says: "Even if you forget about the watch, experts already estimate the price of the wedding ... is more than a million dollars. If Peskov didn't pay for it, it's a bribe. If he did, where is the money coming from?"