Vladimir Putin has always kept his personal life out of the public eye.
For years, little was known about his relationships beyond his marriage to Lyudmila Putina, which lasted nearly three decades.
The two met in the 1980s and married in 1983.
During much of Putin’s rise to power, Lyudmila was by his side, though she maintained a low profile.
Their marriage ended in 2013, with Putin announcing the separation on state television.
Before and after his divorce, speculation about Putin’s romantic life grew.
While he has never publicly confirmed any relationships since, rumors have swirled around Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast.
A Direct Competitor
Reports suggest that Kabaeva has been linked to Putin since at least 2008, and some believe she is the mother of his children.
Despite widespread attention, neither Putin nor Kabaeva has acknowledged any personal connection.
Kabaeva’s life after gymnastics has been marked by influence and power, according to Digi24.
She won Olympic gold in 2004 and was one of Russia’s most celebrated athletes.
After retiring, she entered politics, serving in the State Duma, and later took control of National Media Group, a company overseeing major Russian news outlets.
In 2022, she stepped further into the public eye with a new project: Sky Grace, an organization that has established itself as a dominant force in gymnastics.
Sky Grace is unlike any other gymnastics school in Russia. It has the authority to set its own competition rules, organize exclusive tournaments, and grant sports titles independently.
Some experts say this has given Kabaeva control over a separate gymnastics system, one that exists alongside traditional rhythmic gymnastics.
At the BRICS Games, Sky Grace students competed as if they were a national team, going up against Russia’s official representatives.
This move put Kabaeva in direct competition with Irina Viner, the longtime head of Russia’s rhythmic gymnastics program.
Viner, once Kabaeva’s coach, had been a powerful figure in Russian sports for years.
But after the BRICS Games, her influence declined, with the Russian Sports Ministry dissolving her federation and placing control elsewhere.
