Kathrine Frich
A Russian investigative reporter who published allegations about Vladimir Putin’s private life has been placed on Moscow’s wanted list.
The move targets Roman Badanin, an exiled journalist whose investigations have long focused on the Kremlin leader and his inner circle.
According to the Daily Express, Russian authorities have not specified the grounds for the listing.
Declared wanted
Badanin, 49, is the editor of investigative outlet Proekt and the news platform Agentsvo.
He has lived outside Russia after his media organizations were labeled “foreign agents” and “undesirable.”
Mediazona reported that the Russian Interior Ministry added him to its wanted database without detailing the charges.
His reporting has included claims about Putin’s personal relationships and previously undisclosed family matters.
Allegations in book
In a book co-authored with Mikhail Rubin, Badanin wrote that Putin publicly promotes traditional family values but privately favors “free” relationships and is said to have slept with “a multitude of women.”
The book refers to an alleged relationship with Alisa Kharcheva, who was 17 at the time she appeared in a calendar marking Putin’s 58th birthday.
“What went on in the Kremlin’s alcoves between a 58-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl only they know,” the book states.
It also describes an alleged past relationship with Svetlana Krivonogikh, said to have resulted in a daughter, as well as claims concerning children reportedly linked to gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
The Kremlin has not publicly acknowledged such relationships and has previously discouraged questions about Kabaeva.
Rumors and restrictions
The book further claims that officials and insiders spoke in hushed tones about alleged relationships involving models, athletes and journalists.
“To have mistresses, to resort to the services of sex-escort or to start intimate flings with subordinates, became general practice among people of Putin’s circle.”
The Kremlin has consistently avoided commenting on such allegations.
In 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Badanin was designated a “foreign agent,” and Proekt was banned inside Russia.
Sources: Daily Express, Mediazona, Proekt
