Putin's alleged ‘Secret son' Ivan Vladimirovich's first photos leaked online: Report
Photos have surfaced online claiming to show the secret son of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his longtime rumored partner, Olympic gold medalist Alina Kabaeva, according to a report by The Sun.
The images were allegedly leaked by the anonymously run Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU. The channel referred to the child as Ivan Vladimirovich Putin, reportedly 10 years old.
In one of the leaked images, the boy—believed to be Ivan—is seen wearing a traditional Russian Cossack outfit, complete with braided design details around the collar and lapel. His expression is solemn, with a blunt bowl cut and lips set in a straight line.
"This is Ivan Vladimirovich Putin," the Telegram channel posted, as reported by The Sun. "He hardly communicates with other children, spending all his time with guards, governesses, [and] teachers."
VChK-OGPU described Ivan as 'the loneliest boy in Russia,' highlighting his life of seclusion and tight security. Until now, Putin's rumored children with Kabaeva have remained unseen and largely unacknowledged by the Kremlin.
According to news outlet, the child's appearance strongly resembles photos of a young Vladimir Putin from his Soviet-era childhood—further fueling speculation about the boy's parentage.
Another image allegedly shows Ivan alongside his supposed mother, Alina Kabaeva, the former rhythmic gymnast often dubbed 'Russia's most flexible woman.' Kabaeva is a public figure in her own right, having won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a gold at Athens 2004.
Though she has long been rumored to be romantically involved with Putin, both have remained tight-lipped about their personal relationship or any children.
Putin has consistently shielded his personal life from public scrutiny. As The Sun notes, this rare leak marks a significant departure from the extreme secrecy that typically surrounds Putin's alleged family life. The Russian government has not issued any official response to the leak as of now.
First Published: 24 Apr 2025, 02:38 AM IST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Russia woos Musk amid high-voltage Trump drama? Kremlin stuns with 1st statement
The Trump–Musk showdown just got global. After fiery social media clashes, Russia has reacted. The Kremlin called the feud an 'internal U.S. matter' but a top Russian MP went a step further—offering Elon Musk political asylum. Trump, meanwhile, threatened to cut all federal ties with Musk's companies. With insults flying and the Kremlin watching, is this the West's new political circus?
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Scam valley? Surat men funnel Rs 1,000 crore in global cyber fraud; 89 bank accounts targeted
International cyber criminals transferred over Rs 1,455 crore through 89 Indian bank accounts in just six months, Gujarat Police revealed on Friday. These accounts were provided to the criminals on a commission basis, by three men from Surat, according to police inspector SN Desai. The fraud came to light after the arrest of Kirat Jadwani, Meet Khokhar, and Mayur Italia on May 28. The men were held on charges of cheating and forgery, after police recovered 21 debit cards, 30 cheque books, and six PAN cards issued under different names. Their arrest followed a routine vehicle check in Surat's Udhna area, where an associate was caught carrying fake PAN cards and firm stamps. 'We found the trio had opened 165 bank accounts using documents of people who had applied for personal loans. They gave access to the criminals for cyber crimes including digital arrest, hawala transfer, task fraud, betting, stock market fraud, online cheating and OTP fraud,' Desai said. According to Desai, the accused got in touch with cyber gangs based in Cuba, Thailand, and Malaysia through the messaging app Telegram. In exchange for access to the accounts, they were offered handsome commissions. 'We have so far received details of 89 of these 165 accounts from the bank. All identified accounts have since been frozen after victims lodged complaints,' Desai said. The police believe the fraudsters used a clever trick to get the bank accounts opened, approaching people applying for personal loans and taking their documents, claiming they could help secure the funds. After opening an account using those documents, they would return the papers to the applicant, saying the loan was rejected. 'Since they used to give their own mobile number to get an OTP, the applicant never realised that a bank account had been opened in their name,' Desai explained. "Initially, the gang would lease out each account for a one-time fee of Rs 7 lakh to Rs 17 lakh. As their operations grew, they began charging a 3% to 4% cut of every transaction routed through the accounts. In just six months, the three accused earned Rs 10 crore from commission as the transactions in each of these accounts used to continue all day. The total amount would go up to Rs 30 to 40 crore in each account," he added. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal has already received nearly 2,500 complaints linked to these accounts, including 265 from Gujarat alone, over the past six months.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Russia calls Ukraine war ‘existential', strikes back
The Kremlin said on Friday (June 6, 2025) the Ukraine war was 'existential' for Russia after it launched a wave of retaliatory drone and missile strikes that killed three rescue workers in Kyiv. The comments are Moscow's latest to dampen hopes for a breakthrough amid a flurry of meetings between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, as well as telephone calls between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at stopping the fighting. On Friday (June 6, 2025) — days after the second round of Ukrainian-Russian ceasefire negotiations in Turkey ended without meaningful progress — the Kremlin cast its three-year invasion as nothing short of a battle for the "future" of Russia. 'For us it is an existential issue, an issue of our national interest, safety, our future and the future of our children, of our country,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, responding to remarks by Mr. Trump on Thursday (June 5, 2025) comparing Moscow and Kyiv to brawling children. Mr. Peskov's comments came shortly after the Russian defence ministry said its forces had launched the "massive" missile and drone strike in "response" to recent attacks by Kyiv on its territory. Ahead of the talks this week in Istanbul, an audacious Ukrainian drone attack damaged nuclear-capable military planes at Russian air bases, including thousands of kilometres behind the front lines in Siberia. Mr. Putin had told Mr. Trump he would retaliate for the brazen operation, 18 months in the planning, in which Ukraine smuggled more than 100 small drones into Russia, parked them near Russian air bases and unleashed them in a coordinated attack. 'A farce' Despite recent rounds of peace talks, Mr. Putin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and has instead issued a host of sweeping demands on Ukraine if it wants to halt the fighting. They include completely pulling troops out of four regions claimed by Russia, but which its army does not fully control, an end to Western military support, and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the demands as old ultimatums, questioned the purpose of more such talks and called for a summit to be attended by him, Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump. Kyiv said the retaliatory Russian barrage overnight consisted of 45 missiles and 407 drones. AFP journalists heard air raid sirens and explosions ring out over the capital throughout the night. Mr. Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly said Russia wants the war to continue, responded with a call for allies to 'decisively' ramp up pressure on Russia. 'Are we supposed to believe in a ceasefire after today?' Alicia, a Kyiv resident and marketing specialist, told AFP near one of the strike sites in Kyiv. 'I think it's a farce, and it was clear from the very beginning that there would be no truce. Our enemies are not interested in this at all,' she added. Mr. Zelensky said at least three people had been killed in the capital and that Russia had targeted nine regions of Ukraine, including Lviv and Volyn in the west, which border EU and NATO member Poland. In the western city of Lutsk, rescuers in the afternoon pulled the body of a dead man from the rubble of a nine-storey building hit overnight, the interior ministry said.
