Olympic legend vanishes after giving birth to 'Vladimir Putin's twins'
A former Olympic gold medallist from Russia has reportedly disappeared from public view after giving birth to twins rumoured to be fathered by Vladimir Putin.
Alina Kabaeva - long-rumoured to have been romantically linked to the Russian president - gave birth to the twin boys in a Moscow clinic April last year.
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Russian president Putin is reportedly the father to the children, although he has denied his alleged involvement with Kabaeva, who is 31 years younger than the 68-year-old leader.
Putin has two adult children with ex-wife Lyudmila Shkrebnev but denies having a romantic relationship with Kabaeva, who was also a deputy in his United Russia Party, reports the New York Post.
The Russian president's alleged romance with Kabaeva has been the source of media speculation since 2008, with a number of alleged pregnancies dominating Europe's tabloid pages.
However, after images circulated in 2018 that appeared to confirm her pregnancy, the Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion disappeared off the radar and out of the public glare according to reports from The Sun.
A Moscow source told The Sun that Putin is an intensely private man, who has reportedly kept his children out of the public eye for years.
“He is obsessive about the security of his family,” a Moscow source told the Sun newspaper of the Russian strongman.
“Putin is an intensely private man. He has been hiding his two adult daughters under fake IDs for years.”
“Even now, though he talks about them occasionally, he never names them.
“If Alina gave birth to his children, her hiding away might be one of the strongest hints pointing to this.”
Kabaeva a former star of Russian gymnastics
The 37-year-old Kabaeva is one of the most decorated athletes in rhythmic gymnastic history, with two Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals, and 25 European Championship medals.
After retiring from gymnastics in 2006, Kabaeva turned to politics where she became a Member of Parliament in Putin's party.
The rumoured relationship between the President and Kabaeva was first reported in 2008 when Putin was still married to his ex-wife.
Kabaeva allegedly gave birth to her first child with the Russian president in 2015, however, the Kremlin has denied those reports.
The former gymnast has also done some acting and singing in a varied and successful career.
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