Recent reports have revealed new details about Vladimir Putin’s sons with former gymnast Alina Kabaeva. According to an investigation by the Dossier Center, founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Putin has two sons with Kabaeva: the older, Ivan, born in 2015, and a younger son, Vladimir Jr., born in 2019.
The identities of these children have been kept highly confidential. Their names and birthdates are not found in public records. Since birth, they have had classified documents, similar to those used for spies and individuals whose identities must remain hidden. Only a few people know their birthdates.
The boys do not travel on commercial flights. Instead, they use private planes, yachts, and armored trains. They do not attend public preschools or schools but are educated by private tutors and governesses. They live in highly secure residences protected by the Federal Protective Service of the Russian Federation. Their interaction with peers is minimal, and they rarely see their father.
The information about Putin’s children comes from an anonymous source working at the Russian leader’s residence who often sees the boys. Previous reports have also mentioned Putin and Kabaeva having children. According to Swiss newspaper Sonntags Zeitung, Putin’s sons were born in Switzerland and Moscow, with Putin himself choosing the birth locations to maintain secrecy.
The Dossier Center’s investigation also reveals that the boys have a private school set up in Valdai, northwestern Russia. Their teachers, sourced through the English Nanny agency, are primarily English-speaking from South Africa, a country considered friendly by Russian authorities. These teachers cannot leave the residence and have been paid significantly more than typical linguists.
Occasionally, other children visit the boys, including those of Kabaeva’s friends, who also must quarantine for two weeks. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has been known to visit with Putin and his family, with reports indicating he was present during certain family outings.
The Kremlin has not commented on this investigation. Putin has never publicly acknowledged his sons, and officially, he only has two adult daughters from his previous marriage to Lyudmila Shkrebneva, from whom he divorced in 2013. Speculations about Putin’s relationship with Kabaeva began in 2008 when Moscow Correspondent reported on it, shortly before the newspaper was shut down.
