Vladimir Putin lives close to his ex-wife Lyudmila and their two adult daughters after creating a “Tsar’s Village” around one of his palaces.
The new revelations come amid Russian suspicions that Ukraine this week staged a drone scoping drill for future aerial attacks on Novo-Ogaryovo, his elite Moscow region residence.
Dictator Putin, 70, is known to be paranoid over his own security and the threat of assassination, fearing for his life.
But his ill-conceived war has made his family including adult children and ex-wife vulnerable by placing them close to him around Novo-Ogaryovo in the vicinity of which three drones were reportedly downed on Tuesday.
Putin used secretive offshore companies to buy land and plush properties for his daughters Maria Vorontsova, 38, a geneticist and expert on dwarfism, and Katerina Tikhonova, 36, a former high kicking ‘rock’n’roll’ dancer-turned-mathematician, near his home, reported independent Russian investigative outlet Proekt.
He also installed his ex-wife Lyudmila Putina, 65, formerly Russia’s first lady, and her new husband Artur Ocheretny in another property here.
Putin himself is seen as living with mistress Alina Kabaeva, 40, a glamorous former Olympic gymnast, and their young family, who also used several other palaces elsewhere in Russia.
The lavish royal-like lifestyle of his family members is hidden from ordinary Russians.
The disclosures have emerged from a data breach leading to the leaking of emails between Tikhonova and her first husband Krill Shamalov, the son of a close Putin crony.
The Proekt investigation suggests that while they wed before a priest in a church ceremony, they did not have a registered civil marriage to avoid property being linked to Putin’s daughter.
The home linked to Lyudmila and her new spouse was transferred to them by Shamalov when he split with Tikhonova.
Foes accuse Putin – who they label the world’s richest man – of gargantuan corruption during his almost quarter of a century at the helm of Russia either as president or premier.
He used Cypriot offshore firm Ermira and the Panamanian companies Topsail Development and Dorrington Commercial for the land deals close to Novo-Ogaryovo, according to Proekt.
However, it is not clear that his love child Luiza Rozova – born to his earlier mistress cleaner-turned-multimillionaire Svetlana Krivonogikh, 48, has a mansion in this ‘Tsar’s Village’.
She has vanished since the start of the war with Ukraine.
Putin has been warned to expect more and stronger drone attacks, amid claims the main purpose of Tuesday’s drone swarm was reconnaissance and checking the capability of Russian air defences.
Novo-Ogaryovo is believed to include one of the multiple bunker complexes from where he can rule Russia.
A source told Verstka independent media that Putin “has no sense of security” and has stopped traveling abroad.
This is linked to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
His reported use of a body double at events with many attendees is said to be linked to his fear of assassination.
