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The international community has focused on Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 69-year-old leader fought hard to keep the media and the world from knowing much about his personal life. But five weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU and US have raised the prospect of targeting Putin’s children with sanctions, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Putin’s carefully curated macho image – he is often photographed riding a horse, lifting weights and posing shirtless – has colored much of the public’s understanding of him. He has also made a concerted effort to shield his children from the spotlight, prompting many to wonder if he even has children.
Putin has never publicly acknowledged his children, although the media has been speculating and reporting for years about the two daughters Putin had with his ex-wife, and even that a girlfriend might have had another daughter. in 2015.
One, Katerina Tikhonova, appears to be forging a public image for herself and was seen speaking at Russia’s St Petersburg International Economic Forum, the national equivalent of Davos, last year. But as with her previous media appearances, no one has explicitly linked her to Putin.
Here’s what we know about the lives of Putin’s secret children.
Pat Ralph contributed reports to previous versions of this article.
Putin had two daughters from his first marriage to former flight attendant Lyudmila Shkrebneva, to whom he was married for three decades until their divorce in 2013.
Sources: Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Business Insider
Their daughter’s names are Maria and Katerina. Maria was born in Leningrad in 1985 and Katerina was born in Germany in 1986 when the family lived there while her father was in the KGB.
Sources: Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Newsweek
Both girls are named after their grandmothers. Maria’s nickname is Masha, and Katerina’s nickname is Katya.
Masha and Katya are common Russian shortenings for Maria and Katerina.
Sources: Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Newsweek
When the family moved to Moscow in 1996, the girls attended a German language school. Children were reportedly pulled out of school when Putin became interim president, and teachers educated them at home.
Source: Newsweek
“Not all fathers are as loving as he is with their children,” Lyudmila said in a quote on Putin’s government website. “And he always spoiled them, when I had to discipline them.”
Source: Vladimir Putin
Maria studied biology at university and went to medical school in Moscow, while Katerina majored in Asian studies at university. Both girls attended college under false identities.
Sources: Reuters, Newsweek
Maria, now 36, is a medical researcher and lives in Moscow with her Dutch husband, Jorrit Faassen.
Sources: Reuters, Newsweek, Bloomberg
Maria and Faassen are said to have one child – Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone in 2017 that he was a grandfather. When Stone asked him if he played with his grandson, Putin replied: “Very rarely, unfortunately.”
Sources: Reuters, The Independent, Bloomberg, Daily Mail
Meanwhile, Katerina would lead a high-flying life, living in lavish apartments and amassing a fortune.
Sources: Reuters, The Independent, Bloomberg, Daily Mail
Katerina, now 35, is an accomplished acrobatic dancer and holds a leadership position at her alma mater, Moscow State University, heading a $1.7 billion startup incubator. dollars.
Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg
Katerina married Russian billionaire Kirill Shamalov in 2013. But the couple divorced in 2018 and the divorce case revealed they were worth $2 billion.
Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, The Guardian
There are no current official photos of the girls. For Katerina, we found the slightly different first names “Katerina”, “Katya” and “Yekaterina”, and the surnames “Putina”, “Tikhonova” and “Shamalov”.
Sources: Reuters, Newsweek
Finally, there are rumors that Putin has a third daughter with his girlfriend and former Russian rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
Source: New York Post
But neither the child nor the relationship with Kabaeva has been confirmed.
Source: Business Insider
Putin attempted to shield his children from the media, trying to keep them out of politics so they could live normal lives.
Sources: Reuters, Business Insider
Despite this, Katerina made her debut on Russian state television as a biotech expert in December 2018.
Source: Business Insider
His appearance did not include any comment on his connection to Putin. The link was briefly made public during a dance contest, but later retracted.
Source: Reuters
In June 2021, Katerina spoke at a conference that is Russia’s equivalent of Davos – but no one called her Putin’s daughter, apparently for fear of Kremlin reprisals.
Source: The Washington Post
At the end of 2020, Putin announced that Russia had completed its COVID-19 vaccine, although it had not yet completed clinical evaluations. Putin said he kicked one of his two daughters, but did not specify which one.
Sources: Business Insider, BBC, Politics
Putin said his daughter’s temperature dropped after receiving two injections. “She participated in the experiment,” he said, adding, “She feels fine and has a high antibody count.”
Sources: Business Insider, BBC, Politics
It was a rare recognition for Putin, but still shrouded in mystery.
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, drawing condemnation from around the world. Three weeks later, an activist filmed himself inside what he described as an apartment in Biarritz belonging to Katerina’s ex-husband, saying he wanted to welcome Ukrainian refugees there.
Source: Initiated, The initiate.
In April, the United States said it would target “family members” of senior Russian officials in a wave of sanctions, with the EU also considering the move. Sources said that meant Putin’s children – likely Maria and Katerina.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, The White House
Read the original article on Business Insider
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