'Putin's secret daughter hiding in...' : What Ukrainian media claims about Russian President's rumoured love child

A recent report in Ukrainian media claims that Vladimir Putin has a secret daughter who is living in Paris with a fake name, where she works as a DJ.

The report claims that the 21-year-old, who goes by the name of either Luiza Rozova or Elizaveta Olegovna Rudnova, was tracked down by a Ukrainian TV channel using leaked airline manifests.

According to The Telegraph, she is said to be a love child from a brief relationship between Putin and Svetlana Krivonogikh, a former cleaner who is now a wealthy businesswoman. Svetlana has been described in the media as someone close to Putin.

The Telegraph cited Ukrainian journalists claiming that they found Rozova’s birth certificate, which shows she was born on March 3, 2003. While the father’s name isn’t listed, her middle name, Vladimirovna, follows Russian naming traditions that match Putin's name.

The journalists further explained that her alleged false names are also linked to Putin. Oleg Rudnov, who died in 2015, had been a close friend of Putin, and the report suggests Putin’s love child had been given his name to hide her true identity. Luisa Rozova is also a variation of this name.

Photos from Rozova’s now-deleted social media accounts, which she closed in 2022 after Putin invaded Ukraine, have been compared to Putin’s younger photos. Ukrainian media claims the resemblance is striking. However, Rozova has denied the connection, saying there are many people who look like Vladimir Vladimirovich.

“Listen, judging by his young photos, probably, yes, it looks similar. But, as it turned out, there are a lot of people who look like Vladimir Vladimirovich,” Rozova clairifed, using the formal address in Russian.

Krivonogikh, Rozova’s mother, and Putin’s alleged lover, has enjoyed a surprising rise to riches. She is reportedly worth £83 million, owns “several houses” in Monte Carlo and a yacht, and is a board member of Bank Rossiya, used by Russia’s elite to shift money around, The Telegraph report mentioned.

She also owns a stake in the Igora Ski Resort near Finland and is a director of the National Media Group, used by the Kremlin to regulate the output of its key propaganda channels.

Last year, Britain added Ms Krivonogikh to its sanctions list for “constantly promoting the Russian attack on Ukraine”.

Putin has two legitimate daughters, Maria and Katerina, with his first wife Lyudmila. He divorced her in 2013.

He is also alleged to have two sons with Alina Kabaeva, the Olympic gymnast.