Russian opposition media have once again sought to shed light on the alleged sons of Vladimir Putin with Alina Kabaeva. The children, said to be named Ivan and Vladimir, are reportedly kept under tight secrecy.
Putin and Kabaeva have never publicly acknowledged a relationship, and any children attributed to them are kept out of public view.
Journalists with “Navalny LIVE” published a segment on the Russian leader’s children, focusing in particular on his youngest, about whom very little is known.
For context, Putin’s elder daughters have also long been kept out of the spotlight. Katerina and Maria were born during his first marriage to Lyudmila Putina, so more is known about them. Both attended a German school while Putin served in East Germany. Afterward, Maria studied biology and Katerina pursued Japanese studies. Classmates have said the two were rarely seen in lectures and were taught separately by professors. They now use different surnames—Katerina as Tikhonova and Maria as Vorontsova—are involved in business and appear in public more often, though they are not officially identified as Putin’s daughters. Media have also reported that Putin has grandchildren, but their number and ages are unknown.
According to the reporters, the Kremlin leader also has two sons with Kabaeva who live in near-total isolation from the outside world. They are named Ivan and Vladimir and are listed in documents as Spiridonov - apparently chosen in reference to the patronymic of Putin’s grandfather.
The report says the elder boy, Ivan, was born in Switzerland, and the younger followed three years later in Moscow. While their mother occasionally appears in public - albeit rarely - the boys have never been seen publicly.
The investigation alleges that to secure work caring for Ivan and the younger Vladimir, staff must undergo a two-week quarantine and a full medical screening, and effectively agree to isolation with no contact with the outside world. “Every whim is catered to, and they treat all residences where they live as personal property. Ivan and Vladimir rarely see their parents but are constantly surrounded by security, tutors and other staff,” the journalists say.
Among their security detail is Putin’s aide-de-camp, Vitaly Kemenov, according to the report. The boys primarily reside at the Valdai residence. Staff for the half-brothers are hired by a company owned by one of Putin’s daughters, the journalists say. No other children reportedly live at the Valdai residences.
The reporters claim the boys’ “socialization” happens mostly through contact with household staff. They say the elder, Ivan, already eats and drinks only from his own dishes - “no doubt, like his father, he has a favorite mug.” A mobile laboratory allegedly travels with the boys to test all their food for poison - even fish they catch themselves.
Ivan and Vladimir each reportedly have a car and driver. In addition to the main house, the presidential compound includes a study house, a spa center and a hockey rink, where Ivan sometimes plays with his father. Their routine is described as regimented: breakfast at 9 a.m., schoolwork until lunch, then a nap followed by sports. They study English and German and spend time with their ponies, rabbits and a St. Bernard.
Kabaeva occasionally appears in public but always without the children.
At times, the boys travel—to Sochi, St. Petersburg, Novo-Ogaryovo and Russian-occupied Crimea, the report says. For transport, the family allegedly uses one of 10 yachts and also has access to an armored train, six planes and nine helicopters.
“Everyone knows who the children of Obama and Trump are, and their public profiles are even higher than Putin’s. As for the sons of the Russian leader, they’re growing up in a gilded cage, isolated from ordinary Russians. God forbid this power passes to them by inheritance,” the journalists conclude.
Overnight on January 27, unknown vandals defaced the Galerie L art gallery in Paris with anti-Putin slogans. For several months, Elizaveta Krivonogikh (Luiza Rozova - often described as Putin’s “unacknowledged daughter” - has been working there.
