Putin secretly lives in a palace with his gymnast lover.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is secretly spending millions on his girlfriend to buy big properties for her and their young children, according to The Telegraph. The outlet claimed that the 70-year-old leader allegedly funnelled millions in illicit funds to buy a big mansion and a large penthouse for his 39-year-old girlfriend, Alina Kabaeva.
The Telegraph cited sources from Russian investigative news portal The Project, a Russian opposition website banned by the Kremlin, in its report and said that Ms Kabaeva, an Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion who has long been associated with the Russian president, resides in a villa on Putin's estate on Lake Valdai, roughly 250 miles (402 kilometres) north-west of Moscow.
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According to The Project, the Russian president allegedly used a slush fund in Cyprus to purchase his lover's real estate empire worth $120 million. The construction of Ms. Kabaeva's residence started in 2020 and was finished in 2021. The palace, which is about 13,000 square feet, was constructed entirely out of wood in the design of a Russian dacha. Businessman Yuri Kovalchuk, a Russian tycoon also known as "Putin's banker," was in charge of the construction.
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Independent claims that though Mr. Putin has never publicly recognised a relationship with Ms. Kabaeva, who has been dubbed "the uncrowned queen of Russia," they have reportedly been dating since the early 2000s, including during that time when he was still married. The Olympic gold medalist is widely believed to be the mother of at least three of Putin's young children.
Mr Putin has purchased a number of pricey properties for Ms. Kabaeva's family members too, including her grandmother, Anna Zatsepilina, who, according to The Project, is the owner of property worth almost 10 million Pounds (Rs 99,18,39,600). This includes a three-storey manor house in a posh neighbourhood close to Moscow.