Russian President Vladimir Putin and his rumoured partner, former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, have two sons-ages five and nine-according to the Dossier Centre, a report in Forbes claimed. The outlet has attributed the info to a Russian investigative organisation that cited unnamed sources who claimed to regularly see the children.
The portal claims that the couple’s children are growing up in a highly secured residence in complete privacy. The boys live a solitary existence away from the spotlight and seldom see their parents.
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Mr Putin, 71, has declared in public that he is the father of two daughters, Maria, 39, and Katerina, 38, with his former spouse Lyudmila Putin, whom he wed in 1983.
The Dossier Centre claims Ms Kabaeva and Mr Putin started dating in 2008, which was six years prior to the official end of his divorce from Lyudmila. According to the report, Ms Kabaeva, 41, gave birth to Ivan in a maternity centre in Lugano, Switzerland, and to Vladimir Jr in Moscow.
Both Ivan and Vladimir Jr live in Mr Putin’s mansion northwest of Moscow, though they have no interaction with other children their age, the Dossier Centre report claimed, and they receive music lessons and have personal trainers for swimming and artistic gymnastics.
Ivan has reportedly competed in artistic gymnastics competitions and often plays in hockey matches with his father.
Last year, a report about Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly spending millions on his girlfriend to buy big properties for her and their young children came out. The Telegraph claimed that the leader allegedly funnelled millions in illicit funds to buy a big mansion and a large penthouse for his girlfriend, Alina Kabaeva.