Few heads of state have a private life as secretive as Vladimir Putin’s. Neither how many children he has nor who his partner is has been confirmed by the authorities in Russia.
There is also great secrecy surrounding his state of health, which has led many to speculate whether the president is seriously ill.
Now the Finnish newspaper has Evening News picked up eight of the secrets Putin does not want to see the light of day.
Jardar N. Østbø, head of the program for Russian security and defense policy at the Norwegian Defense Academy, says that much of the secrecy is justified by Putin’s bad experiences with the free press.
Putin’s daughter together with a Zelenskyi
When he became president, he therefore quickly took control of the press, and among other things published an autobiography.
– He has a need for control, both politically and personally. He cannot appear weak, that would be dangerous, he says.
– Every dictator and authoritarian leader has a very strong interest in presenting himself as strong and unassailable, he adds.
1. Partner
The Russian president married Lyudmila Shkrebneva in 1983, but was later divorced – allegedly in 2013. Now he will be cohabiting with Alina Kabajeva.
Kabajeva (38) is a former Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics. The press has referred to Putin and Kabajeva as a couple since 2008.
– Is there a limit somewhere
– It was a small tabloid newspaper that wrote about this first. They quickly noticed the consequences, it was taken down and the media had to close, says Østbø.
– Putin is a trained intelligence officer, he is well aware of how pigs in the forest can be exploited by opponents – both domestically and abroad, he adds.
2. Barn
Putin has two children with his ex-wife, and it is also rumored that he has one or two children with Kabajeva. In the past, Putin has been very concerned about family values outwardly, but this changed after he was divorced.
– In Putin’s case, there is a difference between life and teaching, as he was divorced. That he has children out of wedlock has not been confirmed, but there are persistent rumors that suggest so, says Østbø.
The Putin family completely private: Grotesque fortunes, daughters under false names and a girlfriend 21 years younger
Putin’s two eldest daughters, Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tihonova, grew up under false names. It is still not recognized who they actually are, although they are mentioned by several media.
PUNISHED: Vladimir Putin’s daughters, Marija Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, have been sanctioned by the West. Photo: NTB
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Kabajeva is said to have given birth to one or more children in Lugano in 2015.
3. Economy
According to some experts, Putin’s fortune is among the world’s largest. However, there is great uncertainty about how big it actually is.
One of the most discussed theories is that Putin rewards his close friends and family with attractive contracts or ownership in companies. In return, he receives sums of money or shares.
Will freeze Putin’s funds: One catch
The Swedish economist Anders Aslund estimates that the people Putin has recruited into his close circle possess between NOK 4.3 billion and 17.4 billion each, according to Forbes.
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In total, Putin’s fortune can lie somewhere between 100 and 130 billion dollars – i.e. between an insane 870 and 1130 billion kroner, according to Aslund.
4. Where he is
When the submarine Kursk sank in 2000, Putin was criticized for taking a long time to react – because he was on holiday.
– Political opponents wrote and sent scathing criticism of him, especially in connection with the Kursk tragedy.
The Secret Life of Putin
As a consequence, the president disappears from the radar on some occasions. Previously, there was debate as to whether Putin could do what he wanted, but according to Østbø, the Russian president probably has more room for “going it alone” than previously thought.
5. Health
If a leader in a democratic country becomes seriously ill, a system and a deputy will be put in place.
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– Formally speaking, this is also the case in Russia, but an authoritarian system with weak institutions is very vulnerable to such incidents. It could lead to changes in the power structure and, in the worst case, to a coup d’état, says Østbø.
Many have speculated whether the Russian president is suffering from a serious illness. It has been repeatedly denied by the Kremlin, and more recently by the head of the CIA.
Ex-spy: – Quite seriously ill
– That would lead to great uncertainty in the political elite. If they get the impression that they should start positioning themselves, they do. Russia is a personalist government, and especially in a war situation it would be very disadvantageous to show weakness.
– He has been concerned with cultivating an image as strong and energetic.
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6. The fight for the gas
Last month, the state-owned Russian company Gazprom cut supplies to around 40 percent of full capacity. They pointed out that the delivery of a turbine that had been in service in Canada was delayed by the sanctions resulting from the Ukraine war.
Now Putin is threatening a further reduction in Russian gas deliveries to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
– If the gas turbine that was sent to Canada for repair is not returned to Russia soon, the Nord Stream pipeline’s daily capacity could drop significantly at the end of July, Putin said, according to the state-run Russian news agency Tass.
Thinks Putin is bluffing
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, believes that Putin is bluffing.
– It is already on its way back, so there is no excuse for not delivering gas. There are also alternative turbines that will fit. It’s not like this is the only turbine in the world that will fit. There are identical turbines, she said, according to the Reuters news agency.
7. Paranoia
Putin is known to be extremely paranoid, and during the pandemic it was reported, among other things, that in order to meet the Russian president, you first had to spend three weeks in quarantine. And when he is travelling, he allegedly requires one of his bodyguards to help prepare the food.
Previous reports say, according to Ilta Sanomat, that there have been five attempts to kill Putin, and the Kremlin has not denied these rumours.
Now Putin is divorced from his wife, who the Russians don’t know what she looks like
In an interview with Dagbladet in February, psychiatry professor Sigmund Karterud describes Putin as a chronic liar, paranoid and sick of ruling.
– He has been like this all along. There are several examples to show, such as his bizarre treatment of other heads of state, where he either refuses to shake hands or places them completely at the other end of a table, he says.
8. Opinions
What thoughts Putin really has is also something that makes the experts scratch their heads.
John Siper of the CIA points out that it is difficult to predict the Kremlin’s next step, as it is Putin alone who makes the decisions.
– It is extremely difficult in a system that is as well protected as Russia to get good information on what is going on in Putin’s head. Especially because many of the people close to him don’t know what’s going on either, he tells the BBC.
– Surrounded by nodding mannequins
Østbø says that it is difficult to know exactly who is closest to Putin in his decisions.
– The Minister of Defense and the Secretary of the Security Council are often singled out as those he listens to, or with whom he in any case speaks, in addition to the FSB chief, he says.
Østbø points out that these people also have an interest in maintaining secrecy. If they had gossiped or told things that Putin himself did not want to come out, it would be punished as treason.
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