Putin has 2, maybe 3, daughters he never talks about - here's everything we know about them
Putin had two daughters in his first marriage to former flight attendant Lyudmila Shkrebneva, who he was married to for three decades before their divorce in 2013.
Their daughter's names are Maria and Katerina. While Maria was born in Leningrad in 1985, Katerina was born in Germany in 1986 when the family lived there during her father's time in the KGB.
Sources: Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Newsweek
Both girls are named after their grandmothers. Maria's nickname is Masha and Katerina's nickname is Katya.
Sources:Vladimir Putin, Reuters, Newsweek
When the family moved to Moscow in 1996, the girls attended a German-language school. The children were reportedly removed from school when Putin became acting president, and teachers educated them at home.
Source: Newsweek
"Not all fathers are as loving with their children as he is," Lyudmila said in a quote on Putin's government website. "And he has always spoiled them, while I was the one who had to discipline them."
Source: Vladimir Putin
Maria studied biology in college and went to medical school in Moscow, while Katerina majored in Asian Studies in college. Both girls attended university under false identities.
Maria, now 33, is a medical researcher and lives in Moscow with her Dutch husband, Jorrit Faassen.
Maria and Faassen reportedly have a child — Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone in 2017 that he was a grandfather. When Stone asked if he played with his grandchild, Putin replied, "Very seldom, unfortunately."
Sources: Reuters, The Independent, Bloomberg, Daily Mail
Meanwhile, Katerina reportedly lives a high-flying life, living in lavish apartments and acquiring a fortune.
Sources: Reuters, The Independent, Bloomberg, Daily Mail
Katerina, now 31, is an acrobatic dancer and has a senior position at her alma mater, Moscow State University, heading a $1.7 billion startup incubator.
Katerina married Russian billionaire Kirill Shamalov in 2013. But the couple divorced earlier this year — revealing they were worth $2 billion.
Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, The Guardian
There are no official current photos of the girls, and there is some debate over their exact names. For Katerina, we found the first names "Katerina", "Katya", and "Yekaterina", and the last names "Putina", "Tikhonova", and "Shamalov".
Finally, there are rumors that Putin has a third daughter with girlfriend and former Russian rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
Source: New York Post
But neither the child nor the relationship with Kabaeva have been confirmed.
Source: Business Insider
Putin has tried to shelter his children from the media, attempting to keep them out of politics so they can live normal lives. His carefully curated mystery continues.
Sources: Reuters, Business Insider
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