Who is Alina Kabaeva? Putin's rumoured girlfriend & former Olympian- Know everything about her

Russin President Vladimir Putin is currently living with his rumoured girlfriend and former Olympian, Alina Kabaeva in Moscow, said severalreports. Putin has been reportedly living with Kabaeva in a villa on Putin’s estate on Lake Valdai, which is 400 km northwest of Moscow. The reports surfaced online from a Russian investigative news website, The Project. The rumours and conjectures of Putin and Kabaeva dating have been going on since 2008, but nothing has been ever confirmed by any of the sources.

The Project cited unnamed officials saying that they had seen children on the premises, pointing to a probability that the couple might have been spending time with them at their estate. The existence of Putin's Valdai villa was first reported in 2021 by the team of Alexei Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition leader. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and gymnast Alina Kabaeva have denied in the past that they are in a relationship.

Who is Alina Kabaeva?

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Alina Kabaeva is a Russian politician, media manager and retired rhythmic gymnast, who has been designated Himoured Master of Sports by the Russian government. She is one of the most decorated gymnasts in the history of rhythmic gymnasts. She has won many awards and accolades, like 2 Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals, and 21 European Championship medals.

From 2007 to 2014, Kabaeva was a State Duma Deputy from United Russia. In September 2014, Kabaeva became the chairperson of the board of directors of the National Media Group.

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Kabeava’s family is from Tashkent, Uzbekistan and her father, Marat Kabayev was a professional football player. Her younger sister, Leysan Kabaeva was appointed as a judge of the Almetyevsk City Court in Tatarstan by Putin in 2016. Due to Kabaeva’s career, her family often travelled to different places in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Alina Kabaeva’s contributions to gymnastics

Kabaeva was one of the few gymnasts to perform new skills and elements, such as the back split pivot with hand help (also known as "The Kabaeva"), the ring position with a slow full turn, and the back scale pivot, which was believed to be invented by her.

All the rumours around Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva

1. Kabeava officially retired in 2008. In 2005, she was presented with the Order for Merit to the Fatherland by President Vladimir Putin. She was among the six Russian athlete torch bearers who carried the Olympic flame through Fisht Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Her selection as a torch bearer generated controversy in the international media because of her alleged close relationship with President Vladimir Putin.

2. In April 2008, the Moskovsky Korrespondent reported that Kabeava was engaged to Putin. The story was denied and the newspaper was shut down. After this, the status of Kabaeva and Putin’s relationship became a topic of speculation, including allegations that they even have multiple children together.

3. In July 2013, Kabeva said that she did not have children. But in March 2015, she was reported to have given birth to a daughter at the VIP hospital of Sanit Ann in Ticino, Switzerland.

4. In 2019, she reportedly gave birth to twin sons at the Kulakov maternity clinic in Moscow. However, the Swiss newspaper later reported in 2022 that a Swiss doctor of Russian origin said that she has assisted two children of Kabaeva and both of them were boys. Though nothing was confirmed by Kabaeva or Putin.

5. In April 2022, the US Department of Treasury prepared sanctions against Kabaeva. However, the US government withheld the sanctions for fear of escalating tensions between Russia and the US to her alleged relationship with Putin.

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