Kathrine Frich
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has entered its fourth year with tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians killed.
The war has displaced millions, torn families apart and fuelled a deep sense of anger among Ukrainians both at home and abroad.
With few avenues to express their grief directly to those in power, some take their frustration wherever they encounter symbols of the Kremlin’s inner circle.
A recent street encounter in Paris appears to be one such moment.
Filmed encounter
The Belarus-based outlet Nexta posted footage on Wednesday that it said captured a confrontation between a Ukrainian journalist and a woman it identified as Yelizaveta Krivonogikh.
According to the translated subtitles included in the clip, the man tells her that the Russian president “killed” his brother only a week earlier.
The Express, reporting on the footage, noted it could not independently verify either the video or the translation.
The man then presses her with questions about living in Europe and challenges her position on the Russian government’s actions.
“How do you even live in Europe? In this hateful, cursed Europe… Do you support his policies?” he asks.
The woman, masked and attempting to walk away, replies that he has no right to film her.
Disputed identity
Nexta stated that “a Ukrainian journalist encountered Putin’s illegitimate daughter, Yelizaveta Krivonogikh, in Paris. She declined to comment.”
Russian investigative outlet Proekt previously reported in 2020 that Krivonogikh’s mother, Svetlana Krivonogikh, had longstanding ties to Putin and claimed the daughter bore a resemblance to him.
The Kremlin has never confirmed any such relationship.
Other unverified reports, cited by the Express, claim she uses the name Elizaveta Olegovna Rudnova in France and studied at ICART, an arts-management school.
MSN has attributed Telegram posts to her in which she allegedly condemned the war and the taking of “millions of lives.”
Known family ties
Putin officially acknowledges two daughters with his former wife Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Ocheretnaya.
The BBC has reported that the elder, Maria Vorontsova, trained in biology and medicine, while the younger, Katerina Tikhonova, has been active in academic and business circles.
Both were sanctioned by the United States in 2022 after reports of Russian atrocities in Ukraine.
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Sources: Nexta, Proekt, MSN, BBC
