Who is Alina Kabaeva, the powerful alleged mistress of Vladimir Putin who still dodges international sanctions

His whereabouts are unknown. His last meeting with Vladimir Putin, anyone's guess. But it does not lack glory, money or power.

Former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, singled out as the alleged mistress of the Russian president, is the one who leads the strings of one of the most important machines for the autocrat: propaganda. She is the chairman of the board of directors of the most important media conglomerate in the country, and in that position she has received thanks from numerous oligarchs close to the Kremlin.

During her sporting life, Kabaeva became one of the most decorated gymnasts, winning two Olympic medals (gold in Athens 2004), two world titles and the nickname “the most elastic woman in Russia”.

It wasn't long before she made the leap into politics, becoming a deputy for the ruling party United Russia, where she spent six years in the Duma.

But it caused even more surprise when he announced in 2014 that he would leave office to head the board of the National Media Group (NMG). To make room for it, they displaced Kirill Kovalchuk, none other than the nephew of Yuri Kovalchuk, the man behind NMG, the main shareholder of Rossiya Bank and one of Putin's closest advisors.

At that time, the holding company owned 25% of Channel One, Russia's leading state-controlled television network, and also has stakes in other channels and newspapers, including a majority share of the influential newspaper Izvestia. It has since expanded and currently owns a part of VK, the largest social media company in the country.

When a spokesperson confirmed Kabaeva's appointment, he did not elaborate on the qualifications that made her suitable for the position. It is true that she was previously the host of a television program, but she had no known experience in media management.

But by that time, rumors of a link with Putin, who had announced his divorce the previous year, were already unleashed.

In 2008, the Moskovsky Korrespondent newspaper claimed that Putin was separated from his wife Lyudmilla (mother of two daughters of whom little is known) and planned to marry Kabaeva. A while later, the paper disappeared. When asked by a reporter about the rumors, the president responded furiously: “I always react badly to those who stick their snotty noses and their own erotic fantasies into the lives of others.” The journalist retired in tears.

When the president confirmed his divorce, his spokesman stated that there was no other woman in his life. “It's very easy to take a look at Putin's work schedule and understand that there is no room for family relations in his life, that he is fully occupied with his responsibilities as head of state,” he argued. But the rumors didn't stop. And Kabaeva's rising career, either.

NMG has, as expected, played a key role in defending Putin in the context of the invasion of Ukraine, accusing all of Ukraine's allegations of possible war crimes as propaganda.

In early March, Kabaeva broke her silence to criticize the measures affecting Russian athletes and the former gymnast assured that what the Kremlin was doing was “protecting Donbas and Lugansk from the Nazis”, in line with official rhetoric.

According to media reports in 2018, his salary was around 10 million dollars per year. But that impressive sum does not take into account the juicy businesses carried out in the inner circle of the oligarchs and the favors that go hand in hand. Documents reported by the Anti-Corruption Foundation (led by opponent Alexei Navalny) indicate that he has received several properties in Moscow and St. Petersburg, several times through his family, from powerful businessmen close to the president. They also claim that he travels on the same planes as Putin's friends.

However, Kabaeva has so far managed to evade international sanctions, despite the fact that several countries have targeted media entrepreneurs and heads of the propaganda machine.

In early March, an online petition called on Swiss authorities to expel Kabaeva from the country, calling her “favorite wife of the delusional dictator and war criminal Putin” and comparing her to Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler's partner. However, it was never confirmed that he is in the country.

Was it mother Kabaeva? It is one of the questions that could not be confirmed either. According to the Tabloid Express Gazeta, the woman gave birth to two twins, who would be Putin's children, but no one could corroborate it.

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