Alina Kabaeva
Alina Maratovna Kabaeva, a Russian politician, media manger, and retired individual rhythmic gymnast was born 12 May 1983. She has been named Honoured Master in Sports by the Russian government.
Kabaeva is a decorated rhythmic gymnast with two Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals and 21 European Championship medals. According to some reports, she is the Russian president’s longtime mistress.
Kabaeva served as a State Duma deputy from United Russia between 2007 and 2014. Kabaeva was elected the chairwoman on the National Media Group Board of Directors in September 2014.
Early life
Kabaeva was born 12 May 1983 in Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Soviet Union. She is the daughter of Lyubov Kabaeva, a football player, and Marat Kabayev. Her father is a Muslim Tatar, and her mother Russian. Leysan Kabaeva is her younger sister and general director of a real-estate agency. In 2016, Vladimir Putin appointed her as a judge at the Almetyevsk City Court, Tatarstan. Marat’s work allowed the family to travel to Uzbekistan, KazakhPolitical, and media careers.
Media and political careers
Kabaeva is a member of Russia’s Public Chamber since 2005. She has been the chairperson of the Public Council of the National Media Group since February 2008. This media group controls Izvestia Channel One, REN TV, and Channel One.
The United Kingdom sanctioned Kabaeva and Anna Zatseplina on 13 May 2022. Kabaeva was placed under sanctions by Canada on 27 May. The European Union sanctioned her on 3 June. Australia sanctioned her on 1 July.
Personal life
Kabaeva and President Vladimir Putin at the 2001 Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
The Moskovsky Korrespondent reported in April 2008 that Kabaeva had been engaged to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The newspaper was closed after the story was discredited. The status of Kabaeva’s and Putin’s relationship remained a subject of speculation for many years. In fact, Kabaeva claimed that she had no children in July 2013. She was reported to have had a baby girl at the VIP Hospital of Saint Ann in Ticino, Switzerland, in March 2015. She reportedly gave birth in 2019 to twin boys at Moscow’s Kulakov Maternity Clinic.
The Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported that in 2022, a Russian-born Swiss gynecologist assisted in both of her births. It stated that one was a boy in 2015 and another in 2019, and that both were Putin’s children.
Kabaeva was reportedly in Switzerland for long periods of time since 2015 according to US and European security officials. She stayed at residences in Lugano, Cologny, and Russia.