After more than four hours of answers about the economy, war, energy prices and even the quality of tap water, Vladimir Putin let slip a simple “yes” which was the most unexpected of answers in his traditional annual television marathon known as “Direct Line”, a hybrid event that brings together questions from ordinary citizens and journalists, broadcast live on state television. Asked directly about his romantic life, the Russian president confirmed that he was “in love”.
Sitting beneath a huge map of Russia that included occupied Ukrainian territories, Putin seemed comfortable in the usual script. Until the seemingly unexpected question came up. Regina Orekhova, a journalist at station 360, took a previous response from the Russian president, in which he said he believed in love at first sight, and went on bluntly: “And you, Vladimir Vladimirovitch, are you in love?” The Kremlin leader, now 73 years old, did not completely avoid the topic. He answered a dry “yes” and continued on to the next point, without further explanation about who occupies his heart.
This is not the first time that Putin has made an admission of this kind. In 2014, a year after announcing his divorce from Lyudmila Putina, with whom he had been married since 1983, he had already publicly said he was in love. Still, his private life remains one of the biggest taboos in Russian power. “In the image of Soviet leaders, Putin hides his personal life”, explained in 2024 Lukas Aubin, researcher at Iris and specialist in Russia, to the newspaper Le Parisian.
Officially, Putin is the father of two daughters, Mariya and Ekaterina, currently in their 40s.the result of a marriage that ended in 2013. Unofficially, rumors about other relationships and unrecognized children have been multiplying for years.
When talking about the woman who will occupy Putin’s heart, the name that appears most insistently is that of Alina Kabaeva. Former Olympic gymnast, champion in Athens in 2004Kabaeva will have maintained a discreet relationship with the Russian president for more than 15 years. According to some international journalistic investigations, he divided his life between Russia, Switzerland and Italy, including alpine chalets, a luxury yacht and residences in Sochi. She had at least two children with Putin, in 2015 and 2019, allegedly born in Switzerland. The Kremlin never confirmed.