- Vladimir Putin the third child of Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin and Maria Putina was born years after his parents lost their first two sons
- Not only did he never meet his older brothers, as Albert died in infancy, but he also doesn’t know the grave of his immediate elder brother, Viktor
- In addition to suffering the loss of their sons, the Russian President’s parents suffered a lot of tragedies and his mother almost lost her life as well.
Vladimir Putin’s siblings were born years before he was conceived. However, he never got to meet any of them as they died before his birth. Nonetheless, Vladimir has shone a light on the Vladimirovich family and name so much so that even his dead siblings are being discussed.
Vladimir, the president of Russia has occupied this position since May 2000. He is the second president to have stayed the longest in that position. Putin began to serve the people of Russia in the capacity of the President just after occupying the role of an interim president.
However, the focus on this article takes a shift from this president to his siblings. Putin never met any of his brothers and was only fed stories about their lives and deaths. The focus on Vladimir Putin’s siblings comes from reports because they died many decades ago.
Who Are Vladimir Putin’s Siblings and What Happened to Them
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad, Russia. He is the youngest of his father Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin’s sons. His father worked in the navy as a conscript while he served in the submarine fleet in the early 1930s. Vladimir’s mother known as Maria Ivanovna Putina was also actively working. She served as a factory worker.
As earlier stated, Vladimir Putin’s siblings all passed away before his birth. Putin was born about 20 years after the birth of his parent’s first son. The first of Putin’s oldest brothers was named Albert and he was born sometime in the mid-1930s. However, Albert died while just a baby and did not live long enough to enjoy childhood.
Closely after the death of Albert, Maria gave birth to another son named Viktor. At the time of his birth, the Siege of Leningrad by the German Reich was ongoing. Leningrad which is present-day Saint Petersburg was under siege for about 900 days. While this war was happening, there was widespread starvation. This was because all essential supplies were cut off from getting to the Russian city.
As a result of this, kids were taken away from their parents with the promise of caring for them. However, while in the children’s home, Viktor still couldn’t get the essentials necessary. There was no food nor water and so he and a lot of other children there died. Viktor who was born sometime in the late 1930s/early 1940s died of a disease known as Diptheria. He was barely 2 years old at the time of his death.
READ ALSO: Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin: Putins Father Survived WWI & WWII
Vladimir Putin’s Sibling’s Grave Was Unmarked
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Vladimir Putin, during one annual wreath-laying at Piskaryovskoye Cemetary, talked about his brother’s death. He stated that although he knew that his brother was buried there, he didn’t know where exactly. Viktor was among the over 640,000 people who died during the period of 1941 and 1944.
It was confirmed that Viktor was buried in a mass grave alongside other deceased. According to Aleksandr Nesmeyanov who represented We Remember Them All By Name organization, they were able to narrow down dead bodies to get the president’s brother. The report stated that out of 10 men, there was only one Viktor who had the name ‘Vladimirovich’.
However, due to the fact that his grave wasn’t given any special treatment, locating the spot proved difficult. About 641,803 people were buried in the cemetery, and it was quite difficult to locate the exact spot the child was buried. Viktor’s grave was unmarked during the mass burial hence the difficulty.
Vladimir Putin Might Not Have Been Born
The period of 1941 to 1944 was a really sad one characterized by a lot of deaths. Maria Putina was also one of those who suffered direly during this time. Not only did she lose her son to the war, but she also almost died. In fact, some reports claim she was buried alive.
Maria due to lack of food lost consciousness and was laid alongside other corpses. They believed she was dead and were ready to bury her. Luckily for her, someone heard her moan and picked her out. Upon learning about this, Putin’s dad who was hospitalized and recuperating from war injuries saved her. Spiridonovich began to pass over his portion of food to his wife. This was how Maria Putina survived that period.
The above report about how Putin’s mother was saved was carried by some reports. Other sources however claim that while Maria’s body was being taken away to be kept with other corpses, her husband interjected and insisted that she be left behind.
If Maria had died of starvation or even been buried alive, the Russian president would have not been born. Putin was born about 8 years after the end of the war and his birth was referred to as a ‘late birth’. His mother Putina was said to have been 41 years old when she had the third Putin boy.
Thanks to Vladimir’s father who nursed the Russian president’s mother back to life, she lived to 1998. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin told the story of how he lost his brothers and almost lost his mother too. In his book First Person, he penned down what it was like hearing the tales of what happened during the German Nazi siege. There are also interesting facts about the president in the book.
