MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin is the prince of tactics. Not even close ones can figure out what is in his mind. They will come to know about his thoughts only after it is done. The Ukraine war itself is an example.

The first thing Putin did after sending troops to Ukraine was to make his family safe. He had shifted his family to a secret underground bunker in Siberia, prior to the Ukraine invasion. The move was to protect his family from any possible attacks from the US o other major powers. The bunker is more like an underground city and can even survive nuclear attacks. It is reportedly located beneath an extensive estate in the Altayskoye Podvorie in the Altai Mountains. However, only Putin and some of his close allies know the exact location of the bunker.

Who are his family members?

No one has a clear idea about Putin’s family. The Russians who tried to clarify the matter have not yet been found. It is not known whether they are dead or alive. It is rumoured that he has two or three children and that his third child is being raised very secretly. The online media, which released the news, were soon closed down.

Putin's wife was Lyudmila Skrebneva, a former air hostess. They were married in 1983 and got divorced in 2013. The couple jointly released the divorce news in an interview with news channels after attending a dance event. During his busy life, Putin said that they did not even have time to see each other, and that he was divorcing because he respect his wife and her freedom as an individual. Even when they were married, Skrebneva was not seen in public much. She appeared only when the protocol dictated. She always kept an accurate distance from the media.

Doctor and Dancer

Putin has two daughters with Skrebneva. Eldest daughter Maria Vorontsova, who lives in Moscow with her husband, is doing research in the field of medicine. Her relationship was not made public owing to Putin’s strict instruction. Maria's husband Jorit Fasen is a Danish citizen.

His youngest daughter, Katherine, is a well-known dancer. However, in public, she is known as Katharina Tikhonova, whose grandmother’s family name is attached to her name. Therefore, even as a widely known acrobatic dancer in Russia, Katherine's relationship with Putin is not known to many. She married a Russian billionaire, Kirill Shamalov in 2013. However, the marriage did not last long and they got divorced in 2018. Kirill had never revealed that he was married to Putin’s daughter, due to his fear of life.

Putin is also a grandfather. His elder daughter Maria is a mother of a girl child. He himself hinted about it in an interview with a Russian media outlet, but was not ready disclose further details.

Who is Alina Kabaeva?

In 2008, a Russian newspaper Moskovsky Korrespondent, reported that former Russian rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, was engaged to Putin. However, Putin denied the news and in the following days, the newspaper itself had to close down. There are unconfirmed reports that Kabayeva gave birth to twins in 2019 and that they are Putin's children. Some even claim that Kabaeva is Putin’s own daughter.