Rumors over possible mistresses of the Russian President Vladimir Putin have always driven the interest of tabloids in Russia and elsewhere, most notable is his affair with the former national gymnast Alina Kabaeva. The latest however, is an investigation by the Moscow-based Proekt about Svetlana Krivonogikh, the alleged mistress which Putin had an affair with. The investigation revealed how Russian banks were used to finance the lives of the alleged mistress and her four kids, explaining some of the finances highlighted by the Panama Papers.
According to a video investigation conducted by Russian journalists Andrey Zakharov, Roman Badanin, and Mikhail Rubin, Putin had a nearly two-decade affair with the now 40-something Svetlana, who is only known to the public as a businesswoman who owns billions of rubles worth of real estate across the country.
The report has described numerous investments made by Putin's closest friends to support the alleged mistress who reportedly has four kids, the eldest is a 17-year-old and carries her mother's last name. Throughout their investigation, the Proekt's journalists stressed the fact that these investments made to the woman, who now owns 3% of Bank Rossiya, started in 2003, following the birth of her first daughter.
These investments were linked to Putin's closest friends who are amongst the country's richest businessmen, namely Yuri Kovalchuk and Sergei Roldugin, both major shareholders of Bank Rossiya.
Brilliant piece by @wwwproektmedia on #Putin's alleged mistress Svetlana Krivonogikh and her hidden fortune. It fills in some of the gaps from our Panama Papers investigation into the offshore wealth of Putin's circle and Bank Rossiya https://t.co/4JXFsj7pJd
— Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968) November 25, 2020
Moreover, Krivonogikh reportedly owns the elitist ski resort Igora, where Putin's legitimate daughter Katerina Tikhonova held her wedding there back in 2013, in addition to several mansions, houses, and restaurants across Russia. Her fortune is estimated at nearly 1 billion rubles, according to the Proekt report.
The report also highlights a "striking resemblance" between Krivonogikh's eldest daughter, Liza, and the Russian President, citing a visual analysis by the director of the Centre for Visual Computing at the University of Bradford, who has found that Liza and Putin share 70.44% of their facial features.
Well this is interesting- #Putin "other family" (other than the 2 he already has). Svetlana Krivonogikh was cleaner & after meeting #Putin over decade ago is now worth Billions. She has daughter with #Putin looks,crooked legs & birth certificate says father`s name is Vladimirovna https://t.co/LU1c7EVTwG
— raging545 (@raging545) November 25, 2020
However, the link between Krivonogikh's money, mostly connected to Kovalchuk and Roldugin, came to support a $2 Billion off-shore trail revealed by the Panama Papers in 2016, which had highlighted the two men's names as leads to money owned by the Russian President.
Besides the fact that the Russian businesswoman Krivonogikh has declined to answer questions by the Proekt journalists, Putin never commented on any reports discussing his romantic affairs, neither does he disclose personal information, as he reportedly prefers to lead a private personal life.
