- Vladimir Putin’s family members have been the center of media attention for many years
- His divorce from his wife of over three decades came years after speculations were made
- Even though he has two daughters with his ex-wife, Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Ocheretnaya, he may have fathered many others
The rise of Russia’s former prime minister and the president has made Vladimir Putin’s family members an interesting subject. Over the years, he has kept his personal life far from his political office.
However, over the years, the pieces have been pieced together to include a love life that ended a marriage of over thirty years and having daughters that are shrouded in mystery.
Here is all we know about his marriage and his daughters.
Vladimir Putin And Lyudmila Shkrebneva Marriage Lasted Over Three Decades
The Russian politician is officially married only once as of this writing. He married Lyudmila Shkrebneva on July 28th, 1983 in Leningrad. The couple first met in Leningrad where they were posted for work. At the time Putin was building his career in intelligence while Lyudmila was working for the Kaliningrad branch of Aeroflot as a flight attendant.
Some sources claim their first meeting was in a theatre where a mutual friend connected them. On the said day, Lyudmila stopped over in the city for a few days while off work but later met the man that will make up the next three decades of her life.
Their marriage overtook the changes of the time like the USSR breakaway and the birth of the Russian federation. While Putin and his wife found their niches, he kept his family life away from the media. His rise in politics to the position of prime minister and president came with the prize of pushing his wife to the background.
For many years, the love life of Putin remained an item of scandalous rumors. Many rumors link him to different women but the allegations were not confirmed. One serious claim came from one Moskovsky who claimed the couple had divorced since 2008. Yet, as soon as his work was published, the state media shut down the website.
Notwithstanding, Putin and Lyudmila finally announced their long-rumored separation in 2013 just a few weeks to their third decade wedding anniversary. They claimed their separation was a mutual decision on both their parts. Their divorce which was finalized in 2014 was publicly announced at the State Kremlin Palace during a performance by the Kremlin Ballet.
It is not clear why they chose a public announcement, yet, it is a fact that the end of such a high-profile marriage makes Lyudmila one of the names of divorced first ladies.
Is Vladimir Putin Currently Married?
The former KGB spy for the USSR lives his life by secrecy. He admitted that he dated his ex-wife for three years and hid the fact that he was a KGB spy.
Looking at the mystery of his love life, it is not surprising that Putin chooses what he wants the world to know about him. One of his political rivals, Alexi Navalny claimed Putin married Alina Kabaeva in a secret ceremony.
Rumors about his affair with the former Rhythmic Gymnast and politician started flying as far back as 2008. Alina is one of Russia’s decorated gymnasts with a record of two Olympic gold medals, 14 World championships among many other titles. Her career ended in 2004 when she announced her retirement. However, she started having setbacks as far as 2001 when she tested positive for a drug test that got her banned.
Against this backdrop, her appearance as one of the torch bearers at the Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 fueled her long-rumored affair with the president.
In fact, after she was spotted wearing a wedding ring in 2016 and 2017, very little was left to the allegations of their secret wedding with Lenin. Yet, even Alina did not verify the truth of the allegations.
Despite the thirty-year age difference between the two, their secret marriage is not surprising. While claims made by Nalviny can be discharged as mere political talk, it holds water. The Belarus dictator also alleged the reason for his divorce Lyudmila. The dictator, Alexander Lukashenko claimed Putin’s divorce was due to ‘pressure from Alina’.
The claims were refuted by the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov when he stated Putin had remained single after his divorce from Lyudmila. Yet, many now refer to her as Russia’s ‘Secret first Lady’ or ‘Russia’s First Mistress’
Vladimir Putin’s Family Members Include an Alleged Number of More Than Two Daughters
Despite his media image of a shirtless horseback riding outdoorsman, martial artist and gym lover, and many others, Putin never acknowledged his children. He always refers to his two daughters without revealing their identities, yet, he is said to have fathered two daughters with his ex-wife, Lyudmila. There are sources that claim he has another daughter from an extramarital affair.
His two daughters, Mariya and Yekaterina and Luiza are all well hidden from their father’s public image.
1. Mariya Vladimirovna Putina
- Date of Birth: April 28, 1985
- Age: 39 years old
- Place of Birth: Leningrad
- Parents: Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila Shrebneva
Putin’s first daughter, Mariya Vladimirovna is more interested in her work in the medical field than playing politics. She was born in Leningrad before her parents took them to East Germany to avoid the gang clashes involving the TambovGang of the time.
She stayed with a legal guardian while in Germany. Upon her return to Russia, Maria enrolled at St Petersburg State University and studied biology. She later continued her studies in medicine at Moscow State University and built upon it with a doctorate in Endocrinology.
Despite living away from politics, many believe she advised her father on genetic engineering. Her specialization in endocrinology makes such a claim possible.
Her father never acknowledged her role in his policies. Yet, she and her husband, Jorrit Faassen were forced to leave the Netherlands in 2014. The incident involved the shooting down of Malaysian plane Flight 17 by pro-Russian rebels. She and her husband moved to Moscow, the capital of Russia.
At the moment Mariya is concentrating on her work as an expert on dwarfism. She is a co-author of five books including one on idiopathic stunting in children.
2. Yekaterina Tikhonova Schkrebneva
- Date of Birth: August 31, 1986
- Age: 38 years old
- Place Of Birth: Dresden, East Germany
- Parents: Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila Shrebneva
Yekaterina is the second child of Putin and his ex-wife. Apart from sharing his genes, she is a scientist and former aerobics dancer.
Like her older sister, Mariya, she also attended both St Petersburg and Moscow State University at different points in her life. At her undergraduate levels, Katerina studied Japanese and majored in Asian Studies while she later continued her studies in Physics and Mathematics.
It is noticeable that she dropped her popular surname for a matronymic surname. Her decision to drop the Putin surname is likely for security reasons. This can be backed with sources that claim Putin’s daughters attended university under false identities to conceal their identities which is likely the reason for the surname.
She has occupied positions that do not link her to her father’s office to avoid state issues. Katerina heads a $1.7billion dollar project called Innopraktika. She also serves as the deputy director of the Institute of Mathematical Research of Complex Systems at the Moscow State University.
Her passion for ‘aerobic rock and roll’ which was an unknown sport in the Olympics at the time led her to study it. As a talented dancer, she participated in many competitions alongside her partner, Ivan Klimov. They came 5th in the 2013 championship in Switzerland
Apart from her academic work, she was married to Kirill Shamalov, the son of Nikolay Shamalov, owner of Rossiya Bank. The marriage lasted only 5 years before they went their separate ways in 2018.
3. Luiza Vladimirovna Rozova Also Known as Elizaveta Krivonogikh
- Date of Birth: NA
- Age: 18 years old
- Place Of Birth: NA
- Parents: Vladimir Putin And Svetlana Krivonogikh
Putin allegedly fathered a daughter from a love affair with Svetlana Krivonogikh at a time while he was still married to Lyudmila in 1999. This was revealed by the Russian media Proekt in 2020.
His love interest is described as a ‘cleaner-turned-millionaire mistress’. The relationship which happened when he first became president produced Luiza Rozova. While he hardly reveals the identities of his children, many claim Putin and Luiza have a striking resemblance going by her social media updates.
The media that revealed the connection was blocked by the Russian state media. According to its publisher, Roman Badanin, the action came about to protect Putin’s public image.
Even though Luiza’s relationship with Putin is not acknowledged by the state, Luiza and her mother have a high living standard. Luiza posts pictures of her extravagant lifestyle and this suggest a connection to a good life.
Ever since her identity was made known, she became a sought-after DJ, fashionista, and socialite. She started her own fashion brand called 123th Avenue. Her models were wearing nipple tassels on the runway.
Loiza, however, accepts that she and ‘a younger Putin may share a resemblance’ but did not confirm if he is her father.
Vladimir Putin’s Alleged Children With Alina Kabaeva
His relationship with the 41 year-old former gymnast-turned-politician has never been openly acknowledged. It makes even the open acceptance of the offspring from such a union a taboo subject.
There are many accounts regarding the number of children that Putin fathered with Alina. Some claim they only have three children that were born in 2015 and 2017. This source maintains that all the children were born in Switzerland and they all have swiss passports.
Another source places the number to be four children made up of two boys and two girls.
The public is not convinced that there is nothing between the power ‘couple’ ever since her absence was felt in October 2018. More so, when she sent in her good wishes to the Gymnastic team through the Russian Gymnastics Federation without appearing in person, some said she was in hiding as she had just given birth to their twin children.
See Also: Vladimir Putin Children: Meet Them All And What They Do
Vladimir Putin’s Other Love Interests
Even though Putin has been tied to affairs and secret children for a long time, there are many more relationships that many are not aware of. He is romantically linked to these women.
- Victoria Lopyreva
- Wendi Deng
Where Is Vladimir Putin’s Ex-wife, Lyudmila?
With all the secrecy surrounding the Russian leader, Putin, his ex-wife has moved on. This news came after an investigation by Sobesednik, a Russian news media.
After bearing the Putin surname for three decades, Lyudmila changed her name to that of her new husband, Arthur Ocheretny. Her new husband is the head of an organization that she patronizes.
Lyudmila’s marriage investigation was checked by opposition leader, Alexey’s Anti Corruption Foundation. Its findings revealed the transfer of a St Petersburg apartment formerly owned by Putin and Lyudmila to her solidifying her divorce from Putin.
Lyudmila is a business owner who is committed to the work of the Center for the Development of Inter-Personal Communication. The center is estimated to be worth millions of dollars.
Rumors are still going around about her life after Putin. Some suggest that she became a nun while refusing to accept her remarriage to a man who is 21 years younger.
She and Ocheretnaya allegedly bought a villa worth $7.6 million in Southwest France.
