Vladimir Putin's secret sons

Russian President Vladimir Putin has two secret sons whom he keeps hidden from sight, reported an online investigation project. 

The boys, Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, live mostly in isolation, with "companies owned by friends of the Russian leader" taking care of their needs, said the Dossier Center, which "tracks the criminal activity of various people associated with the Kremlin", according to its founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The boys' mother is said to be former Olympic rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, although, said Forbes, both she and Putin have denied any "romantic ties" for more than a decade. However, Dossier claimed their relationship began "as early as 2008".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

'A life of isolation and secrecy'

Newsweek added that Ivan and Vladimir are said to "live a life of isolation and secrecy" and see their parents only rarely. They travel by "armoured trains, private jets and yachts", under the protection of Russia's Federal Protective Service, and have documents that conceal their identities.

Neither of the boys attend school and instead, said The Sun, have private classes in "Putin's palaces – like the royal children of Russian tsars".

Claiming they are being "groomed" to succeed Putin, the newspaper added that the "pampered boys" were learning English as well as German. 

Putin, who has "publicly acknowledged" having daughters with his ex-wife Lyudmila Putin, said Forbes, keeps a "tight grip" on information about his personal life, said The Telegraph. 

However, he made a "rare remark" during a trip to a secondary school in the Russian city of Kyzyl, continued the newspaper, quoting Putin as saying: "Some of my family members, the little ones, speak Chinese too – they speak it fluently."

His daughters, Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, are "believed to both be approaching the age of 40", and it is thought he has "at least" three grandchildren. As well as the reports of his alleged sons, there are claims that Putin has a third adult daughter named Luiza Rozova with "former cleaner-turned-millionaire" Svetlana Krivonogikh.

Dossier reported that Ivan has told his teachers and guards that when he was born, Putin said: "Hurray! Finally! A boy!," said The Moscow Times. It also said that Putin's elder son was born in Lugano, Switzerland, while Vladimir was "born in the spring of 2019 in Moscow". Their father allegedly chose both locations.

Disney, personal trainers and gymnastics

Highlighting parts from Dossier's investigation, the site said that Ivan was "obsessed" with Disney cartoons and films, a passion "likely disliked" by the Russian President, who has "stated his preference for Soviet-made cartoons on multiple occasions". 

As well as private tutors, the boys are said to have personal trainers and Ivan has competed in several artistic gymnastics competitions, continued the Moscow Times, adding that the report described his results as "not promising". 

The Dossier Center was founded in November 2017 by Khodorkovsky – a "former oligarch" jailed for accusing Russian officials of corruption, said The Times – almost four years after he was released from prison. Its aim, according to Khodorkovsky's website, is to uncover the "criminal organisation that operates from within the Kremlin" and bring it to justice.