Vladimir Putin private: His children, his wives and his fortune

Moscow/Cologne –

Vladimir Putin has been involved in world politics for more than 22 years, but not much is known about the Kremlin boss. The private side is undoubtedly one of the best-kept state secrets in Russia.

This is by no means surprising, because the 69-year-old has absolute control over the whole of Russia. Not only via the power apparatus, but also via the media.

Not only since his invasion of the Ukraine, with which he instigated a war in the middle of Europe, has the ex-secret serviceman been the focus of global attention. But who is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin really? Where and when was he born? What is his background? How was his professional career? How rich is Putin really? Is he married, how many children does he have? Where is his wife hiding? A quest for answers.

Wladimir Putin born in Sankt Petersburg 1952

On October 7, 1952, Putin saw the light of day as the third child in what is now Saint Petersburg. At that time, the city on the Baltic Sea was still called Leningrad, which was besieged by German troops during the Second World War between 1941 and 1944.

Putin grew up in modest circumstances. His father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, was a soldier and fought in the Russian Navy against the Nazis. Together with his wife Marija Ivanovna Putina he worked in a factory. A typical working class family living in a 20 square meter communal apartment. Since his siblings died young, Putin enjoyed a lot of attention from his parents.

Vladimir Putin’s grandfather was allegedly Stalin’s personal chef

His father was a staunch communist, and his grandfather was said to be Stalin’s personal chef. Sport was one of his favorite pastimes from an early age. Martial arts were the focus, especially judo, but he also practiced boxing and sambo. After the attack on Ukraine, the world judo association IJF revoked Putin’s status as honorary president and ambassador.

His passion for martial arts also set the course for his professional future. Even then, Putin still tells us, the desire for a career as a secret agent was said to have matured in him.

Vladimir Putin witnessed the reunification of Germany in Dresden

After studying law in his hometown, where fellow students allegedly gave Putin the nickname “Moth”, he joined the Russian secret service. He was known as a determined and ambitious student. Ten years later he was transferred to Germany as a KGB officer. Until 1990 he worked as an agent in Dresden, where he perfected his German.

Putin was strongly influenced by his time with the secret service. He experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall as an employee of the Russian secret service in Dresden. The collapse of the USSR was a drastic experience for Putin.

At the end of the 1990s, Putin’s rapid political rise began. In a very short space of time he rose from head of the domestic intelligence service to prime minister and then president of Russia. After his return, he first became deputy mayor of his native city and then moved to the presidential administration in Moscow in 1996. There he quickly gained the confidence of President Boris Yeltsin, who made him prime minister in 1999.

Through his tough approach in the Chechen war, he was able to convince as prime minister and win over the Russian people. In March 2000 he was elected President. According to the constitution, he had to resign from office in 2008, but installed his confidante Dmitry Medvedev as a placeholder in order to replace him again in 2012. He then amended the constitution to allow him to remain in power until 2036.

Love life of Vladimir Putin is a state secret

From 1983 to 2013, Putin was married to the German teacher Ludmila Shkrebneva, the couple has two daughters. The couple separated in 2012, but the divorce was not announced until April 2014.

Putin is said to have had an affair with the much younger Alina Kabaeva since 2008. The 31-year-old Russian Olympian Alina is said to have several children with him. Numerous media reports about the alleged relationship were denied by the Kremlin.

Did Vladimir Putin hide his family in Switzerland?

If the US portal “Page Six” is to be believed, Kabaeva and Putin are said to have already secretly married. They are said to have seven-year-old twin girls together and two sons who are being hidden from the public at a secret location in Switzerland.

In the Swiss canton of Ticino, Putin is said to have found safe shelter for his family before invading Ukraine. Allegedly, the children also have a Swiss passport, as does Kabaeva, a source from the US portal claims.

Speculations about another secret daughter are also doing the rounds. Allegedly, the millionaire Svetlana Krivonogich is said to be the mother.

Goddaughter Ksenia Sobchak defied Putin – escape

A goddaughter of Putin is also in the public spotlight. Ksenia Sobchak, a former It girl from Moscow, is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak. He was once the mayor of St. Petersburg and is considered Putin’s political foster father.

The former TV presenter entered politics a few years ago, and even ran against the presidential elections in Russia in 2018. Not only the now 40-year-old has sharply criticized Putin in public, but also her mother. Ksenia Sobchak is said to have fled Russia to Israel two weeks after the war began.

Net worth of Vladimir Putin

Putin is said to have billions in wealth, but Moscow denies it. According to official information from the Kremlin, as head of state Putin will receive a monthly salary of around 11,000 euros. In addition to a spacious apartment (approx. 150 square meters), he is provided with two vintage company cars. But he can hardly finance his life of luxury with that.

Just a few weeks ago, everyone was talking about his luxury yacht. After lengthy repairs at the “Bloom and Voss” shipyard, the “Graceful” was anchored in the port of Hamburg. With a monthly income of a good 10,000 euros, such a status object can hardly be financed.

As imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny revealed in a 2020 documentary, Putin is said to own a pompous palace on the Black Sea. The imposing building with its own ice hockey hall is said to be worth more than 1.1 billion euros and is hermetically sealed. One can only speculate about how much Putin’s fortune really is. The figures range from around 40 to more than 100 billion dollars.

Despite all the secrets, Putin enjoys great popularity among the Russian people. His followers see him as the savior of Russia, who rescued the country from impending disintegration and chaos, even though he was tough on his subjects from the start. According to experts, he is obsessed with the vision of restoring Russia to its former glory: one of the reasons why he is said to have invaded Ukraine. (mbr)