Vladimir Putin's Kids: The Russian President's Family Drama Is Totally Crazy

The story of this enigmatic clan could be ripped straight from a soapie script.

Ivanka Trump. Sasha and Malia Obama. Chelsea Clinton. For the children of world leaders, living in the glare of global publicity is part and parcel of having a parent whose job involves holding on to the nuclear launch codes. But do you know who Vladimir Putin’s children are?

Didn’t think so.

In a world where presidents and royalty face as much scrutiny for their private lives as their policies, it seems incredible that an entire first family can have escaped the spotlight for nearly 20 years. But that’s exactly the feat that Putin, has pulled off. There are no official photos of the Russian leader’s kids, there is some debate about their exact names, and it has actually never been confirmed how many offspring he has.

Not only has he sheltered his two grownup daughters – Maria and Katerina - from the media, he’s also remained silent about his strongly rumoured secret family, the so-called First Mistress of Russia – Alina Kabaeva and the two children he may, or may not, have fathered with her.

"I am proud of them"

Putin’s so tight lipped about his clan that back in 2015 it was his incredibly rare comments about his daughters at a press conference that shocked the audience rather than his thoughts about foreign policy or corruption.

“They live in Russia and have never lived anywhere other than Russia permanently,’ he said his face expressionless – allegedly the result of a facelift and Botox injections. “They studied only at Russian universities. I am proud of them. They continue to study and work. My daughters speak three European languages fluently. One of them can even speak one or two Oriental languages. They are making their first steps and are successful.”

These are believed to be images of Putin's daughters. Photo: File

He then shut the conversation down, leaving the world to wonder afresh about the lives of two young women, seemingly banned from social media.

The girls are the product of Putin’s first marriage to former Aeroflot flight attendant Lyudmila Shkrebneva. The couple wed in 1983 and since their split was confirmed in 2013, she’s not seen in public. It’s, sadly, more than a little unlikely she’ll be writing a tell-all novel about her Putin years.

The dancer and the doctor

As their daughters have grown up, there have been a number of unconfirmed rumours about both girls (who doesn’t love a mystery involving two rich, young, blondes?)

In 2016 a photo emerged of the eldest, pretty Maria, reportedly nicknamed Masha. In elaborate 19th century fancy dress, it was reportedly the first picture of the now 32-year old since her father came to power in 1999. Alongside the photos, claims arose that the Moscow-University medical student lived a high-flying life, cruising in mega yachts with her Dutch husband Jorrit Faassen, having friends which include a gay fitness coach from London and a lesbian artist (embarrassing given her father’s homophobic stance) and even having a daughter, making Putin a secret grandfather.

Her younger sister, Katerina, seems the more flamboyant of the pair. Almost incredibly, as the offspring of the stony-faced Putin, she is a rather good acrobatic rock ‘n’ roll dancer coming fifth in championships held in Switzerland.

The 30-year old has always gone by her maternal grandmother’s surname, Tikhonova, to better guard her anonymity. In fact the Kremlin has never confirmed the boogie-woogie dancer is actually Putin’s daughter although it’s widely accepted in Moscow.

Married to Russian billionaire Kirill Shamalov, when she isn’t dancing, Katerina is reportedly in charge of a $1.7 billion expansion of Moscow State University. Busy lady.