Kathrine Frich
The book, The Tsar in Person: How Vladimir Putin Fooled Us All, sheds light on the extraordinary measures taken to keep their existence secret.
The book, The Tsar in Person: How Vladimir Putin Fooled Us All, sheds light on the extraordinary measures taken to keep their existence secret.
A Secret Family Revealed by Investigative Journalists
A new exposé by Russian journalists Roman Badanin and Mikhail Rubin claims Vladimir Putin has two young sons with former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
The children, allegedly named Ivan and Vladimir Jr., have never been acknowledged publicly and live under the false surname Spiridonov to conceal their identity.
A Life Behind High Walls in Putin’s Forest Fortress
According to the authors, Kabaeva and her sons reside at Putin’s ultra-private compound in Valdai, a heavily fortified estate hidden in the woods between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The complex reportedly includes separate wooden mansions, a spa, a children’s recreation zone, and military-style protection featuring multiple Pantsir air defence systems.
It is a world designed not just for comfort, but for invisibility.
Rare Public Glimpses Through Gymnastics Training
Despite the secrecy, footage and interviews have surfaced of the boys participating in elite gymnastics training.
In one video, six-year-old Vladimir Jr., known as “Vova,” proudly demonstrates somersaults at his academy and talks about mastering moves without his coach’s help.
His older brother, Ivan, discusses balance and form while being trained by Olympic champion Alexei Nemov.
A Surname With Deep Family Ties
The boys’ assumed surname, Spiridonov, appears to be a nod to Putin’s grandfather, Spiridon Putin, a former chef for Soviet leaders including Lenin and Stalin.
The choice of name isn’t random: it’s symbolic, connecting the president’s heirs to a carefully curated family legacy, while also shielding them from public recognition.
It mirrors the approach taken with Putin’s older daughters, who also use different surnames to maintain distance from the Kremlin spotlight.
An Ongoing Pattern of Secrecy Around Putin’s Children
Putin has long avoided public discussion of his family.
His adult daughters, Maria (Vorontsova), Katerina (Tikhonova), and Luiza (Rosova or Krivonogikh), also live behind pseudonyms.
Yet when he first came to power in 1999, journalists reportedly encountered his wife Lyudmila and daughters more openly.
Only later, as the president consolidated control and his children became involved in business ventures tied to the state, did full secrecy take hold.
Why the Authors Say the Public Has a Right to Know
Badanin and Rubin say they wrestled with the ethics of revealing the sons’ names and images, but ultimately felt justified.
“If he were a private individual, we wouldn’t have done it,” Badanin told a YouTube interview. “But he’s a head of state. It’s part of the job.”
Rubin added that Putin’s image rests on ideals of family and tradition, values he insists others uphold, while hiding his own children from view.
A Double Standard in the Public Eye
The journalists argue that world leaders typically do not hide their children, Obama, Clinton, and others have shared family life with the public.
For a leader like Putin, who promotes “family values” as part of his national platform, the decision to obscure his own family raises difficult questions.
If children symbolize heritage and unity, why make them a state secret?
