Authoritarian tyrant Putin, whose lengthy time in office has been plagued by controversies, leads a somewhat mysterious life away from the world stage with two secret sons rumoured to be waiting in the wings to take over his dynasty.
His country faces further turmoil today, with Ukraine having staged major drone strikes on Moscow – the second concerted Ukrainian attack on the capital in just three days. The attack took place shortly after Ukraine accused Vladimir Putin of trying to thwart President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plans, with the Russian Prime Minister having set out multiple conditions.
Tensions remain high as experts warn that European leaders have “no choice” but to prepare for war with Russia within “the next decade”. Away from politics, his rumoured sons, Ivan Putin, nine, and Vladimir Putin (junior), five, live like princes in a gilded cage, afforded every conceivable luxury in life from private jets to personal chefs.
However, the two are denied the freedoms afforded to most children, being concealed from the world in relative isolation. The boys spend the vast majority of their time at one of Putin’s vast palaces at Valdai, north of Moscow, surrounded by forests and lakes.
According to the independent investigative media outlet Dossier Centre, Putin, 72, shares Ivan and Vladimir Jr with his alleged lover, the gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Although Putin has long denied a romantic connection with Alina, 41, the outlet reported that they’ve been in a relationship since at least 2008, and that their sons’ existence is an open secret.
The Dossier Centre reports that the two children travel by “armoured trains, private jets and yachts”, with Russia’s Federal Protective Service keeping a close eye on them at all times. According to the outlet: “The sons of Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva – Ivan Putin and Vladimir Putin (junior) – are isolated in residences, travelling on yachts and business jets.
“They are guarded by FSO [Federal Protective Service] officers, with nannies, governesses and professional trainers by their side around the clock. The brothers have little contact with their peers and see little of their parents, but they appreciate the rare moments they manage to spend with their father.”
To his great frustration, Putin has reportedly been unable to “protect his children from Western influence”, with the report stating: “His eldest son Ivan prefers Disney cartoons and, to the displeasure of his parents, plays pretending to be their characters. They have to play mostly alone or with adults, who are constantly around Putin’s sons. They only see their parents late at night.”
The pampered boys are understood to “have their own cars with drivers”, with separate cars for their teachers and servants. They also “have personal chefs who prepare separate meals for them”. It’s understood that Putin spoils his sons, and nobody but he can tell them off. According to this report: “Putin treats his sons even more reverently than he once did his daughters. Their teachers, security guards and other staff are afraid of Putin, and he himself is the only one who can speak sternly with the boys.”
When not at their isolated mansion, the boys spend the months of February and March at another opulent residence close to the Krasnaya Polyana resort, where they are taught skiing. In July and August, they sail on yachts, with typical destinations including the Gulf of Finland, the Black Sea coast and Russia’s northern lakes.
The brothers also have documents that conceal their identities, a move usually used only for spies and those under state protection, and reportedly ‘cannot be found in government databases’. Only immediate family members have been informed of their birth dates.
Putin also has three children from his first marriage to linguist Lyudmila Ocheretnaya, with whom he shares adult daughters Maria, 39, Katerina, 37 and Luiza, 21. However, he could reportedly barely contain his excitement following the birth of his eldest son Ivan, reportedly exclaiming: “Hurray! Finally, a boy!”
Although Ivan and young Vladimir live very sheltered existences, it’s been alleged that the Russian dictator is grooming them to succeed him. Russian lawyer and ex-MP Mark Feigin, who once represented the anti-Putin feminist band Pussy Riot, previously asserted that Putin longs for “a dynastic transfer of power within a totalitarian system”, thereby creating conditions under which “no one except his heirs can be at the head of the state”.
Speaking with Ukrainian TV host Dmitry Gordon Feigin back in March, Feigin claimed: “There are sons in this marriage, that’s absolutely true. This has been established and confirmed by many. She definitely has two sons…these are Ivan and Vladimir…. I assume that he wants to wait until the coming of age at 18 of one of the sons… {…]”
“For Putin, this option, of course, is the best. It’s the golden option. To give to his son, who will sit on the throne, even if it is some group of regents consisting of his daughters or others…somehow they will formalise it.”
This comes as a military analyst tells the Mirror that European leaders have “no choice” but to prepare for war with Russia within “the next decade”.
Defence and security analyst Michael Clarke issued this damning assessment as US officials landed in Moscow to present a ceasefire deal to Putin. Clarke believes Europe will have to face up to “the biggest strategic shift in US policy toward Russia since 1917” should US President Donald Trump’s policy be sustained over the next decade or by a successor.
He explained: “And, if so, it is also accompanied by the biggest moral shift in that historical span too. So Europe has no choice now but to prepare for war with Russia in the next decade – in the genuine hope that preparing for it properly offers the best chance of eventually deterring it.
“We can hope for better, but hope isn’t a strategy. No choice but to be prepared for what is manifestly out there.”
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