An investigation by non-profit investigative outlet Dossier Center revealed on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin has two sons, Ivan Putin and Vladimir Putin Jr., with his rumoured longtime partner, Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
The sons, who live in isolation protected by Federal Protection Service (FSO) officers at various private residences, are accompanied round-the-clock by nannies, private tutors, and professional sports trainers, according to Dossier Center, which added that the children travel around in armoured trains, private jets and helicopters.
Tutors for the boys are periodically sought through an agency, according to Dossier, who included a screenshot of a job posting for an English teacher for boys aged four and eight published in February 2024. The terms and conditions included accommodation, a five-day working week and a salary of €7,700 per month, though it specified that leaving the place where the family lives was strictly prohibited.
A source who works within the Putin family’s entourage told Dossier that the family is very selective regarding the nationalities of staff they employ, preferring countries that are considered friendly to Russia, with South Africa being a regular choice.
The source added that the Putins are constantly looking for new teachers, because “getting along with the family is not that easy.” Dossier found citizens of South Africa, New Zealand and Great Britain among the private tutors employed by the family.
“For example, if the eldest son plays hockey or participates in a performance and Olesya Fedina is watching, after the match or show, the child runs not to her but to a box hidden behind opaque glass where the real mother sits.”
The children also have personal swimming and artistic gymnastics trainers, with Ivan being trained by a former member of the Russian national gymnastics team, whose name was not disclosed.
Ivan and Vladimir, born in the spring of 2015 and 2019 respectively, were delivered in different locations: Ivan was born at the Sant’Anna clinic in Lugano, Switzerland, while Vladimir was born in Moscow, though they were delivered by the same gynaecologist, Natalya Thiebaud, according to Dossier.
Olesya Fedina, Kabaeva’s cousin, introduces herself as the boys’ mother to outsiders and personally meets any prospective tutors. Kabaeva herself tries to maintain secrecy during the children’s sport performances, watching them from a box of opaque glass, but isn’t always able to hide her presence.
“For example, if the eldest son plays hockey or participates in a performance and Olesya Fedina is watching, after the match or show, the child runs not to her but to a box hidden behind opaque glass where the real mother sits,” Dossier wrote, citing a source from the service staff.
The family has a regular schedule, with the children spending most of the year at Vladimir Putin’s Valdai residence in Russia’s Novgorod region. In February and March each year, they ski in Sochi, while they spend July and August on the family yachts in the Gulf of Finland and the Black Sea.