Putin’s daughters make rare appearance as he tries to keep his family secret

Two of Vladimir Putin’s daughters have made rare public appearances despite efforts by the Russian president to keep his family tree a secret.

Putin proudly traces his family tree back to the 1600s as it’s put on display at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum – but the names and details of his partners and children have been censored.

Two of his children are speaking at the forum, but ordinary Russians are not allowed to know of their familial link.

Endocrinologist Maria Vorontsova, 39, is Putin’s eldest daughter and was speaking at the forum about Russia’s bioeconomy.

Younger sister Katerina Tikhonova, 37, is an accomplished dancer while also heading Innopraktika, known as Russia’s National Intellectual Development Foundation.

‌Seen as a future politician, she took part online in a roundtable about the defence industry, and her foundation is known to have invested in drone manufacturer Geoscan.

Maria Vorontsova appeared via video link at the conference

Vladimir Putin with now ex-wife Lyudmila and daughters Katerina (left) and Maria (right) (Picture: social media/e2w)

The Putin family tree traces the dictator’s family back 13 generations when they were peasants in Tver region – yet it stops abruptly with the Kremlin ruler, not even mentioning his ex-wife Lyudmila, 66, who was once Russia’s first lady.

It doesn’t mention Maria or Katerina, or his other daughter Luiza Rozova, 21, a child he shared with cleaner-turned-multi-millionaire bank owner Svetlana Krivonogikh, 48.

Missing too is his long time partner rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 41, who Putin is believed to have secretly wed.

The couple are believed to have two or even three children, with at least one, a son, born in Switzerland.

Luiza is thought to be sitting out the war in a Western capital, while both Maria and Katerina are grounded due to the conflict in Ukraine.

The tree does, however, mention the tyrant’s paternal grandfather, Spiridon Putin, a chef who served various Soviet leaders including Stalin.

Maria Vorontsova also spoke at the St Petersburg International Legal Forum in 2022 (Picture: SPILF/e2w)

Katerina Tikhonova, 37, pictured on her wedding day in 2013 (Picture: Proekt/e2w)

Putin regularly lectures Russians on the importance of large families.

‘Motherhood is an exquisite purpose for women,’ he said on International Women’s Day in March.

Having a family was ‘the most important thing for any woman, no matter what career path she chooses or what professional heights she attains’.

Putin said: ‘If two people produce only one [child], the population decreases. Even if two, it stays horizontal.

‌’And in order to ensure the growth of the people and the population, it is a minimum need for a family to have three children.

‌’And for this to happen, the family must be born early [when the parents are still young].’

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