Who are Vladimir Putin’s 2 daughters – and secret kids, and former partners?
- Putin has 2 daughters from his first marriage and possibly twins from his long-time romantic companion, former gymnast Alina Kabaeva
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s eldest daughters, Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, both appeared as speakers at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum last week.
While both sisters have attended the annual forum before, only Katerina has been a speaker, as per CNN. This year, however, they both took part in panels and their unprecedented dual public appearance has been seen as an indicator of the shifting dynamics within Russia’s political landscape.
Putin, 71, is famously secretive about his personal life. He has rarely publicly acknowledged his children, though media outlets have for years reported that he has two daughters with his ex-wife. He’s also rumoured to have had extramarital affairs that may have produced other children.
But as international pressure mounts on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, sanctions have closed in on his personal networks – and in particular, his children and rumoured girlfriends.
Just weeks before the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s rumoured girlfriend Alina Kabaeva praised the state’s war correspondents, saying their work is as effective as “a Kalashnikov”.
Here is what we know about the lives of Putin’s secret kids and partners:
Vladimir Putin’s ex-wife, Lyudmila Shkrebneva
Putin had two daughters with his first wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva, a former flight attendant. Their daughters’ names are Maria and Katerina. Maria was born in St Petersburg in 1985, and Katerina was born in Germany, in 1986.
When the family moved to Moscow in 1996, the girls attended a German-language school. The children were reportedly removed from school when Putin became acting president and teachers educated them at home.