According to a report by Russian Television (RT) on the 26th, the Kremlin poured cold water on a Russian website article claiming that Russian President Putin had a so-called "secret third daughter", and the Kremlin said that the matter was "neither convincing nor factual basis".
However, this article was subsequently added to the western media. The matter was reported in international media outlets such as The Times, The Daily Mail, The New York Post and Moscow Times.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told the media on Thursday that he had "personally reviewed the material" and called it "yellow news." He said "nothing special, nothing worth commenting on." Peskov had told reporters the day before that he knew nothing about the matter and claimed it was "the first time [he]heard of such a woman."
Dmitry Peskov
Earlier, an article published on the Russian website Proekt on November 25 stated: "Putin shares a daughter, Elizaveta, with Svetlana Krivonogikh, who is also a St. Petersburg native and a longtime friend of his years." ”
However, the "Proekt" website is based only on the fact that in 2000, the year Putin first assumed the presidency, the so-called "friend's" family's financial situation improved significantly, and she moved from a public apartment to an upscale house.
Second, the "Proekt" website calls the father's surname of Putin's so-called "secret third daughter" Vladimirovna, similar to Putin's name and in line with Russian tradition. Moreover, the so-called "secret third daughter" looks "very much like" Putin, and computer analysis "supports" this hypothesis. But the media did not provide any photos of the girl on the grounds of privacy concerns.
Putin with ex-wife Lyudmila
Before divorcing his ex-wife Lyudmila in 2013, Putin had two daughters in 30 years of marriage, both of whom are now adults. The eldest daughter, Maria Vorontsova, became a pediatric endocrinologist, and the younger daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, became a university program director.
For years, Putin never commented on family affairs. Nor has the Kremlin nor Russian state media ever spoken publicly about Putin's private life. But the Western media has been happy to report on some unconfirmed things about Putin's "gossip girlfriend" and "illegitimate children".
Source: Global Times