Putin's '31 Years Younger' Lover, Who Was Said to Be Hidden in Switzerland, Spotted in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva
[Photo by AP]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Alina Kabayeva, known as the partner of Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared in Moscow.

On the 22nd (local time), according to foreign media including the New York Post, Kabayeva, an Olympic gymnastics gold medalist, appeared at the rehearsal for the junior rhythmic gymnastics held at the VTB Arena in Moscow the day before.

This was revealed when Yekaterina Shirotina, the coach of the junior national rhythmic gymnastics team, posted a photo with Kabayeva on Instagram.

Russian magazines and others commented on the photo, saying that Kabayeva had undergone Botox and filler treatments similar to President Putin. However, to avoid censorship, they used cautious expressions without directly mentioning the relationship between President Putin and Kabayeva.

Until now, Kabayeva has been suspected of hiding in Switzerland with her children following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

She last appeared in December last year to attend the opening ceremony of a rhythmic gymnastics competition held at a stadium in Moscow, then disappeared from public view.

Then, in March, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, controversy arose over suspicions that President Putin evacuated Kabayeva and their four children to a villa in Switzerland. At that time, the U.S. media outlet Page Six reported that all of Kabayeva and President Putin's children were presumed to hold Swiss passports.

In response, a petition urging the Swiss government to expel Kabayeva was posted on the world's largest online petition site, Change.org. The criticism was about how while President Putin attacked Ukraine causing civilian casualties, his family was hiding safely in Switzerland.

Meanwhile, rumors about President Putin and Kabayeva first surfaced in 2008. At that time, a media outlet reported that President Putin was going to divorce and marry Kabayeva, but the Kremlin denied it.

However, the rumors continued while Kabayeva served as a member of parliament for about eight years. In 2014, Kabayeva was appointed chairwoman of Russia's largest media company, National Media Group, receiving an annual salary of 10 million dollars (approximately 12.3 billion won).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.