Names, Ages and Why He Keeps They Secret

Putin was a flight attendant and had two daughters with Lyudmila Shkrebneva in his first marriage. They were married for over three decades before their divorce in 2013.

Sources: Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Business Insider

Their daughters’ names were Katerina and Maria. Maria was born in Leningrad, 1985. Katerina was born at home in Germany in 1986. Her father was a KGB agent.

Sources: Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Newsweek

Both girls are named after grandmothers. Maria’s nickname Masha is Katerina, Katerina is Katya.

Masha and Katya, which are common Russian shortenings to Maria and Katerina, are Masha and Katya.

Sources: Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Newsweek

The girls attended a German school when the family moved to Moscow in 1996. The children were reportedly expelled from school after Putin became acting president. They were then taught at home by teachers.

Source: Newsweek

Lyudmila claimed that not all fathers love their children as much as he does. This was in an undated quotation on Putin’s government site. “And he has always spoilt them, while I had to discipline them.”

Source: Vladimir Putin

One of his early biographers said that Putin gained more political power and his children began to see him less.

Natalya Geovorkyan, his first official biographer, interviewed him, and his family, in 1999.

After Putin became the prime minister for the first-time, the family was quickly isolated and surrounded with security. she told the BBC.

His daughters told him that they admired and were proud of their father, but it seemed they didn’t get to see him as much as they thought.

Putin’s marriage might also have been loveless. His biographer stated that Lyudmila was not a happy woman and that Putin would not “hold” her.

“I understood that.” [Lyudmila]She was not a happy lady. She was not happy.” biographer Gevorkyan told the BBCreferring to her interviews from 1999.

Gevorkyan stated that she felt Putin did not love Gevorkyan. She remembered Lyudmila saying, “There are women who men admire. I don’t think I am that kind of woman.” He will not hold my hand.”

Gevorkyan said Lyudmila’s tone was more with respect to her husband.

“I had the feeling that he really loved her,” she said. “And I had the feeling that she wasn’t as loved back.” It wasn’t a happy marriage for her.

2013 was the year that Lyudmila and Putin announced their separation. the BBC reported.

Maria studied biology at college and went on to medical school in Moscow. Katerina studied Asian Studies at college. Both girls were falsely identified at university.

Sources: Reuters, Newsweek

Maria, now 37, works as a medical researcher. According to reports, she married Jorrit Faassen (a Dutch businessman), although it’s not clear when.

Sources: Reuters, Newsweek, Bloomberg

Maria and Faassen reportedly have a child — Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone in 2017 that he was a grandfather. Stone asked Putin if Putin played with grandchild. Putin replied “Very rarely unfortunately.”

Sources: Reuters, The Independent, Bloomberg, Daily Mail

Katerina, meanwhile, lives in luxury apartments and has a lot of money.

Sources: Reuters, The Independent, Bloomberg, Daily Mail

Katerina, now 36, has been an accomplished acrobatic dancer since childhood. She holds a senior role at Moscow State University and is responsible for a $1.7B startup incubator.

You can see Tikhonova’s performance at a 2013 Rock ‘n’ Roll Dance Competition in Winterthur (Switzerland):

Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg

In 2013, Katerina was married to Russian billionaire Kirill Shamalov. Their wedding took place at Leningrad’s Igora resort.

According to Reuters the wedding was highly secure and included a laser display, ice-skating displays, and a mock Russian village. 

Sources: Reuters, The Guardian   

Shamalov enjoyed a successful marriage and accumulated lucrative business interests. They were worth $2 billion when he and Katerina split in 2018.

Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg

According to flight records, Katerina had a secret relationship with Igor Zelensky (German ballet star) in 2017 and had a daughter together.

Zelensky was the director of the Bavarian State Ballet as well as the Munich State Ballet. 

Sources: Important Stories, Der Spiegel

Katerina flew secretly to Munich more than 50 time to see Zelensky between 2017-2019, with their daughter.

The relationshipA 2022 investigation by Important Stories Der SpiegelWe examined Katerina’s flight records and found that she traveled with members Putin’s presidential secret police.

There are currently no photos of the women. Katerina has slightly different first names: “Katerina”, “Katya”, or “Yekaterina,” as well as the last names: “Putina,” Tikhonova,” or “Shamalov.”

Sources: Reuters, Newsweek

Rumours abound that Putin may have a third child with Alina Kabaeva, a former Russian rhythmic gymnast.

Source: New York Post

Both the relationship with Kabaeva as well as the child have not been confirmed.

Source: Business Insider

There are also reports that Svetlana Krivonogikh (an ex-cleaning lady) had an affair with Putin, and moved into one the most wealthy neighborhoods of St. Petersburg.

Independent Russian outlet ProektReports indicate that the couple had a close friendship from the late 1990s to the end of 2010, which led to the birth and raising of a daughter.

Krivonogikh, a former cleaner, became a billionaire owner of one Putin’s favorite ski resorts. according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

Krivonogikh is the father of Elizaveta Vladovna Rozova, a 2003-born girl who goes by Luisa. While identity papers don’t identify a father of the child, her middle name refers to “daughter Vladimir”. She has not confirmed any relationship.

The Proekt investigation made a comment about Elizaveta’s “phenomenal similarity” to Putin and the many connections between Putin’s mother and her daughter, but no relationship was established.

In an interview with Russian GQElizaveta’s facial features were not depicted. She was asked if she looked like Putin. However, she said that she saw a lot of people who look similar to Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Despite this, Katerina made a debut on Russian state television in December 2018 as a biotechnology expert.

Source: Business Insider

In June 2021, Katerina addressed a conference that’s considered Russia’s equivalent of Davos — but nobody called her Putin’s daughter, apparently out of fear of reprisal from the Kremlin.

Source: Washington Post

Putin announced that Russia had completed its COVID-19 vaccine in late 2020, but it still needed to undergo clinical assessments. Putin stated that he gave the shot for one of his daughters but didn’t give any details.

Sources: Business Insider, BBC, Politico

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The incident drew condemnation from around world. Three weeks later, an activist filmed himself in what he claimed was a Biarritz apartment belonging to Katerina’s ex husband. He stated that he wanted to host Ukrainian refugees.

Sources: Insider, The Insider

In April, Maria and Katerina were sanctioned by the US. They claimed they had “enriched their self at the expense of Russian people.”

A White HouseStatement read: “This action cuts off them from the US financial systems and freezes any assets that they have in the United States.”

Further details were also provided by the US, indicating that their work has close ties with the Kremlin. The White House stated that Tikhonova’s work supports Russia’s government and defense industries, while Vorontsova’s genetics research programs, are personally overseen, by Putin.

Source: ABC News

The US stated that it believed the women were hiding money for Putin, and that was why it sanctioned them. The Kremlin expressed dismay at the decision, suggesting that it was anti-Russian.

“We believe many of Putin’s assets are hidden among family members, and that’s what we’re targeting,” a senior official in the Biden administration stated, according to ABC News.

Putin’s top spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saidThe Kremlin deemed the decision “difficult”, and framed the matter as part of a “rabid Western animosity” towards Russia.

The UK swiftly followed suit, with a raft sanctions on Maria, Katerina, and others in Putin’s inner circle. These sanctions were aimed at limiting their “lavish lifestyles.”

Sources: Insider, The Press Association

The list of countries that have placed sanctions on Maria or Katerina has only increased since last spring.

The US, UK, European Union and Canada have all imposed sanctions against women.

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, Reuters, Japan Times, New Zealand Herald

Katerina was appointed to the top job of overseeing import substitutions in July 2022, just as Russia began to suffer from sanctions.

Tikhonova was appointed to the position at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).

Putin critics speculated that the reorganization of RSPP (a key Russian business lobby) was done to help boost the country’s lagging economic. Russia is still heavily dependent upon foreign imports and has suffered from the slews of international sanctions imposed by the war in Ukraine. 

Reporting by the state media on Tikhonova’s appointment, they didn’t mention her relationship with Putin.

Sources: RBC, Fortune