Olympic gold-medallist Alina Kabaeva, 39, is widely believed to be the Russian President’s secret girlfriend and the mother of the pair’s children.
She was first linked romantically to Putin in 2008 when she was a pro-Kremlin MP by a newspaper that was rapidly closed down after printing the story.
But despite Putin’s efforts to keep their relationship and personal lives secret, it appears word continues to travel about their romance and the jaw-dropping luxury they enjoy behind closed doors.
Often termed the “Empress of Russia”, Kabaeva is considered to be spoiled beyond comprehension because she gave the Russian leader the male heir no girlfriend or wife before her did.
And now, an investigation by independent anti-Putin investigative team Proekt has exposed more of their royal secrets — a story an angry Putin is believed to blame on his wife’s friends, the Daily Mail reports.
The peek behind the scenes of the couple’s life reveals Kabaeva has her own forest-engulfed “golden mansion” between Moscow and St Petersburg, where a nearby Pantsir air defence system guards her and her children. It is believed she and Putin share between two and four kids — potentially including twins.
While the Proekt report declines to reveal the exact ages and names of their children, which it claims to know, it makes clear at least one is a boy.
As a thank you for providing him the heir, the investigation claims, Putin rewarded his lover with a Black Sea hideaway in sea-and-ski resort Sochi. She was also reportedly gifted more than 20 mansions and flats.
She reportedly has a fleet of Maybach limousines at her disposal, and has been surrounded by a squad of machinegun-toting security guards on visits to a Moscow cafe.
Kabaeva won gold in gymnastics at the 2000 summer Olympics.
Many Russians saw her as the reason for the break-up of Putin’s marriage to ex-first lady Lyudmila, 63.