New U.S. sanctions have thrust President Vladimir Putin’s adult daughters into the global spotlight, which they have largely avoided throughout their lives.
The women are the daughters of former Aeroflot crew member, Lyudmila Putina, who was married to Putin before their relationship ended in 2013.
Details about their lives are scarce. Their maiden names differ, photos of them as adults have not been made public and their father has rarely even referenced them.
Here’s what we do know about Maria Putina and Katerina Tikhonova:
Putin’s remarks
Putin has said he intentionally kept his children out of the public eye, largely for “security concerns.”
“I know that Western political culture implies family members have to be in the limelight. I believe that we are not in a situation where such theatrics would be appropriate,” the president said in an October 2020 interview with TASS, a Russian state media outlet.
He also spoke of his grandchildren to the outlet.
“I have already said that I have grandchildren, I am very happy, they are very good and sweet. I really enjoy spending time with them,” Putin said.
Work and educational backgrounds
At his annual news conference in 2015, Putin confirmed that both of his daughters attended Russian schools. “They speak three foreign languages fluently. I never discuss my family with anyone,” he added.
Putin’s eldest daughter, Maria Putina, sometimes referred to as Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova, was born in 1985 in St. Petersburg. She reportedly studied biology at St. Petersburg University and attended Moscow State University and is a graduate of their Fundamental Medicine Department, according to Reuters.
She now leads state-funded programs that work on genetic research. The programs have received billions in funding from the Kremlin and are “personally overseen” by the Russian president, the U.S. Treasury Department said when it announced the sanctions.
Katerina, 35, was born on August 31, 1986, in Dresden, Germany, where Putin was stationed at the time. She did not come into the spotlight until 2015, when reports circulated that she was Putin’s daughter. The news was first reported by a Russian blogger named Oleg Kashin.
She took the surname Tikhonovna from her grandmother, Yekaterina Tikhonovna Shkrebneva, according to a report from Kashin.
She is a scholar and researcher working on publicly funded projects at Moscow State University, and is also the deputy vice rector overseeing Innopraktika, an artificial intelligence institute at the university.
Katerina also does work supporting the Russian defense industry, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
Five of her advisers at the university include members of her father’s inner circle, according to a Reuters report.
In an interview with Russian news outlet Interfax in 2015, Katerina said she worked her way up the university ladder as a research student.
“At the university, work with students is built on involvement. And I, even when I was studying, actively participated in student volunteering. The most active students are usually offered to stay and work in the university system,” she told Interfax.
Personal lives
Maria is reportedly married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Joost Faassen, but little else is known about her personal life.
Katerina married Kirill Shamalov, a wealthy Russian businessman, in 2013. The couple divorced in 2018 following reports that Shamalov personally profited during the marriage.
Her hobbies include acrobatic rock ‘n‘ roll, a type of competitive dance, and she holds a senior position at the World Rock ‘n‘ Roll Confederation.
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