There are conflicting reports going back and forth about President Putin divorcing his wife to be with a famous 24 years old gymnast from the former Soviet country of Uzbekistan.
Although I’m not surprised by this because this can be quite common here.. I am surprised that this story has hit the public the way it has.
President Putin who is 55 is reported to be in a serious relationship with Ms. Alina Kabaeva who is 31 years his junior.
If this happened in the US then the explosive scandal it would create would be beyond huge. But here in the FSU it’s treated with celebrity fascination.
Here is what one of the articles says..
So, Mr Putin, what do you see in this nubile 24-year-old rhythmic gymnast?
- By Richard PendleburyThis is the kind of question Mrs Merton might ask:
“So, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, what do you see in a 24-year-old, sensationally beautiful gymnast with a penchant for posing semi-naked that you don’t see in your lovely, middle-aged, matronly wife Ludmilla?”
It is also the kind of question that hardly needs answering for the millions who have tuned in to the YouTube film of Alina Kabaeva performing a decidedly provocative gymnastic routine.
This sudden frenzied interest in a woman who, until yesterday, was frankly a rather obscure Russian athlete, comes after a Moscow newspaper reported that Mr Putin recently split with Ludmilla and is preparing to marry the young and very pretty Miss Kabaeva.
Mr Putin today appeared to relish being linked to a beautiful gymnast less than half his age as he gave a press conference alongside Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi – himself no stranger to allegations of womanising.
Denying the claims of a divorce and marriage plans, 55-year-old Mr Putin seemed to enjoy playing up the image of a ladies’ man.
“In other publications of the same type, the names of other successful, beautiful young women from Russia are mentioned,” he said. “I think it won’t be unexpected if I say that I like them all – just as I like all Russian women.”
He called women of his homeland “the most talented and beautiful” in the world – adding diplomatically: “If anyone can compete, it may be only Italian women.”
Despite his denials, some commentators wondered whether the rumoured link with the gymnast might explain why Mr Putin suddenly posed topless for the cameras on a Siberian fishing holiday last summer.While his muscled and hairless torso were a particular hit among female and gay voters, perhaps he was simply trying to impress his new mistress.
There is added piquancy in the fact that, despite her youth, Miss Kabaeva has recently been made an MP.
The gymnast is one of a number of young and beautiful Russian dancers and athletes who, under Mr Putin’s patronage, have lately become deputies in the Duma – Russia’s lower parliament.
Known as Putinskie Krasotki – “Putin’s Babes” – they were brought in with the cynical but successful aim of “sexing up” his United Russia party.
The bloc took more than 60 per cent of the vote in the December elections.
One Russian spin-doctor boasted at the time of their arrival in the Duma: “We are now definitely ahead of all parties in terms of ladies with sex appeal among our MPs.
“These young women are full of energy and eagerness to become serious law-makers.”
That remains to be seen. After all, it would be like Gordon Brown packing the backbenches at Westminster with a confection of the pop group Girls Aloud, the triumphant British women’s cycling team and topless dancers from London nightclub Stringfellows.
To be fair to Miss Kabaeva – already promoted to deputy head of the Duma’s committee on youth affairs – she is more demure than her fellow Babes, one of whom has posed naked for Playboy.
Yes, Miss Kabaeva has taken off her clothes for a magazine, but poses tastefully wrapped in a fur rug. Her modesty is protected by lingerie in other shots. All the same, Ruth Kelly she ain’t.
But how did Mr Putin actually get to know Miss Kabaeva?
One of Russia’s most popular beauties, she is the reigning Olympic rhythmic gymnastic champion and global darling of the sport.
She is said to be blessed with “extreme flexibility” and practically unbeatable when performing “on the carpet” – to use a gymnastic term.
“I could not believe my eyes when I first saw her,” recalls her coach Irina Vine.
“The girl has the rare combination of two qualities crucial in rhythmic gymnastics – flexibility and agility.”
The sport is a combination of ballet, dance and gymnastics in which competitors manipulate ropes, balls, clubs, hoops and ribbons.
And Alina was very good. Aged only 15, she won the gold medal in the 1998 European Championships. The following year she secured the world title and was favourite to repeat the success at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Disaster struck, however, when she dropped her hoop and it rolled off the carpet. She went home with only a bronze and all of Russia wept with her.
It is said that this was when she first came to Mr Putin’s attention and made his acquaintance.
There was more embarrassment at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane the following year when, having won five medals, she tested positive for a banned diuretic.
She was stripped of her titles, though her coach said that it had been an honest mistake, caused by using an Australian food supplement.
Joy was unconfined when Alina won the All-Around rhythmic gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The sport had a new superstar and pin-up girl.
But a knee injury was dogging her career and, after one retirement and a comeback, she announced in February that her time on the carpet was at an end … Time to concentrate on politics and support for her President.
What then of the first First Lady? 50-year-old Ludmilla Putin’s talents lie in linguistics. She has a degree in Spanish, can speak French and has taught German at Leningrad State University in Mr Putin’s home city of St Petersburg.
She married him there in July 1983. At the time of the wedding, Miss Kabaeva, was only two months old.
Ludmilla followed her husband on his KGB postings and lived in East Germany for four years, where one of their two daughters, Maria and Katja now aged 23 and 21, were born.
But rumours about the state of the Putin marriage have been rife for some time in Moscow media circles.
The story that she and the President have already, in fact, divorced appeared in the Moscow tabloid Moscovski Korrespondent.
The newspaper claimed that the secret divorce came through in February and that Mr Putin would marry the gymnast-turned-MP in St Petersburg on June 15.
The article cited a source close to an event planning company saying the firm was competing for the right to host the wedding at an imperial palace on this date.
By that time, Mr Putin will have stepped down from the presidency and have been replaced by his hand-picked successor Dmitry Medvedev.
Mr Putin will become prime minister and chairman of the ruling party, United Russia.
No one in Russia or elsewhere believes that by leaving the office of president he will have relinquished any of his real power.
As the story of his divorce circulated around Moscow, it was claimed that Mr Putin had been seen having an intimate dinner with Kabaeva in a city centre restaurant earlier this year.
Last night, her father muddied the waters when he said he hadn’t heard if his daughter was marrying or not.
But he added: “If she marries such a man it will be great. He’s quite similar to me.”
Neither the Kremlin nor a spokesman for Miss Kabaeva were prepared to comment. Some even suggest the story has been deliberately leaked by the Kremlin to allow them to impose further restrictions on Russia’s mass media.
About the only interesting point I can emphasize is the fact that this young lady is from the capital city of Tashkent in Uzbekistan. And although I haven’t had the chance to visit this country yet I have quite a few friends from this city. And they tell me with a certain measure of pride in their voices..
That there are MANY beautiful and good girls in their city and that someday I should see this for myself.
Well I certainly appreciate their offer but I’m not in any real hurry.
Besides if this Tashkent girl has so utterly mesmerized Mr. Putin..
Then I’m sure there are many more like her with the same magical abilities.
And one of you Gentlemen should be the first to find this out.
April 20, 2008 at 11:43 am
Excuse me, Sir, do you – advertise this relationship pattern?! I thought I could quote this article as an example Why Russian Women Opt Out for Western Men…
April 20, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Auntie Natalia,
I don’t see GL promoting this one bit. All I see is an article with GL stating that these actions are somewhat acceptable in Russia and that he’s heard nothing but great things about the women from Tashkent. He’s not in anyway promoting the actions of Mr. Putin, but promoting another destination that we probably didn’t know about to find wonderful women. I had to pull up a map to see where Uzbekistan even was.
I’m not sure how this article relates to Russian woman opting out from American males but I do always find your articles fascinating so I can’t wait to see it.
SiSD
April 20, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Natalia, did you mean to say “do you advocate this relationship pattern?!” Speaking for myself, the answer is “Hell,no!”
I had the exact same thought as you did when I read that article-this is the reason why Russian women love western men so much.
April 20, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I hope we can agree on condemning this. I feel very sorry for Ludmilla, who seems to have devoted her life to Putin.
April 20, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Thank you, Sunny, but that my statement was rather rhetorical. ) From this side of the world, the article looks like a “normal” yellow gossip, though you never know what it turns out in the end, like in the case of Abramovich.
I was just stunned how it fell in line with my recent comment on the Russian ways of “wife rotation”.
Sincerely, N.
April 20, 2008 at 11:22 pm
My perspective is “Hell yes”!
No person can know what was going on in Putin’s marriage, but to assume everything was fine is a mistake in my opinion. Maybe it was, but maybe he wanted out for good reason. Putin wants to appear young and vital to maintain power, hence the shirtless pictures some time go. A young, hot wife helps with that – and is a lot of fun as well. Hey, I admire a man that can get a much younger woman the way I admire a man that can make great things happen. Sarkozy married a much younger woman that is even taller and very wealthy (inherited). Why he would want a woman that had slept with everybody that picked up a guitar and then bragged about it, is beyond me, buy that is his business. Cindy McCain is 18 years younger than Senator John McCain, she was also very rich (inherited approx. $100 million). Neither Bruni or Cindy McCain needed to marry wealth, they married prestige and power.
I read once that if you looked at marriage records, it was very common for men to marry much younger women until around the late 1940’s. After women had come into the work place, the differences in age began to get closer. Now it is something like 3 years in the U.S.. Women fear being left when they get older and less attractive, over the years it has become mainstreamed to be offended for a man to get a much younger woman. Popular media has carried this message as well. I understand women not liking a man getting a young woman, and even young men that have grown up in Western society where this is considered tabboo. Early in a marriage a man and wife must bond in a way that the man is still committed to a woman even after she is older and less attractive. Some women cannot do this, and the men look at younger women.
A beautiful 24 year old world class gymnast? I am impressed, Vlad.
April 21, 2008 at 2:33 am
So is this a common thing to do in Russia Natalia?
It reminds me of a quote from Chris Rock the comedian, “A man is only as faithful as his options.” To paraphrase the rest the rest of the bit, “If your a poor garbage man, you don’t have too many choices(in women), you get what you get, however now if your the President of the United States of America, well now you got choices.” He said that during a bit about president the Bill Clinton Monica Lewinsky scandal. The sad part about this quote is it rings very true to most of the men I know.
April 21, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hello Everyone,
I’m certainly not trying to endorse anything in this story because like everyone else I simply don’t know what is really going on and cannot make a call on it either way.
I agree with Randall that no one knows what their marriage was like. She could have been a wonderful Nancy Reagan-esque partner to him or she could be Hillary part 2.
The only point I’m making from my time here is that this doesn’t surprise me a bit given what I’ve seen so far.
GL
April 21, 2008 at 7:27 am
Sunny,
Uzbekistan is a Former Soviet Union Country (FSU) and I’ve met a few Russian, Tar Tar, Kazakh and Ukrainian ladies from Tashkent who are completely inline with much of what I’m saying here.
Or in other-words.. this blog certainly doesn’t exclude them.
GL
April 21, 2008 at 7:28 am
Randall,
Thanks for bringing up the interesting point about the relationship between age differences in American relationships and Women in the work place.
GL
April 21, 2008 at 7:48 am
Randall
Why would any woman want you after reading what you wrote? Women marry for
security and protection. You seem to offer neither of these, but rather
think that if you trot off to another woman, it must be your wife’s fault
for not bonding with you enough.
In marriage, women give their husbands their fertile years in return for
protection during their infertile years. Breaking this contract is
dishonourable and society needs to condemn it, otherwise the whole
institution of marriage breaks down.
Why you’d admire other weak men for leaving their wives for younger
women is beyond me. You seem to have a very warped moral code.
Ask yourself this: would you advise your sister to marry someone who said things like that? I wouldn’t.
April 21, 2008 at 11:21 am
Marriage is an institution that helps hold societies together. Many civilizations’ downfall coincided with the break down of the family. It is surprising to me that Putin’s stud image is being supported. Regardless of who his wife is, breaking marriage vows without good reason is a serious offense that contributes to a vicious cycle. It is a shame this attitude is not shared in Russia, a country that has been suffering from broken down families for many decades-thanks to Marxism.
I for one greatly disapprove of this stud image-however politically shrewd it may be given how women tend to be more fascinated with studs than men (evolutionary biology papers will speak of this phenomena).
There has been more than enough research to prove the strong link between the break down of marriage and the decay of societies. Any person who walks out on a marriage without a good reason contributes to the social decay of their own society. That is all I can say.
April 21, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Randall, I also admire a man who can get a much younger wife, as long as he’s not already married. That’s why I would advise men not to be in such a hurry to get married; a guy should wait until he’s AT LEAST 30, and then find a woman who’s at least 10 years younger than he is.
April 21, 2008 at 3:51 pm
P.S. I am amazed that I know THREE guys who married much older women. The age differences are 8 years, 10 years, and 16 years. Not only that, but one of those women actually has another man’s kid! What insanity! Only in America!
April 21, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Hero
And what are older women meant to do? Women can get older and be single through no fault of their own. It’s not ‘insanity’ to marry them…
Dawn
April 21, 2008 at 4:06 pm
There’s no reason for any halfway decent woman in the USA to still be single by age 30. The good men here far outnumber the quality women. I think men who marry much older women are insane because the older woman is less fertile (didn’t you yourself just write that “women give their husbands their fertile years in return for protection during their infertile years”?) So why should a man accept a woman who’s not fertile? Seems like he’s getting shafted when he does that.
April 21, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Perhaps he doesn’t want children. Perhaps he already has children. Perhaps she’s so special that he is willing to forego children. Perhaps he can’t have children.
Of course there are reasons for decent women to be single by 30. Here’s one you can’t disagree with, surely: what about widows?
April 21, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I was talking about 30 year old women who’ve NEVER been married.
April 21, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Out of interest, Hero (and anyone who cares to comment), what would you advise a close female friend who was approaching 30 (let’s say she was 27 or 28) and dating a good man she liked but did not really love? Would you advise her to marry him anyway, since time was running out? Or to keep looking?
This isn’t a trick question, by the way. I’m genuinely interested in what you’d say.
April 21, 2008 at 4:37 pm
For some reason the ‘8′ in ‘28′ came out as a smiley face in my post above.
Rest assured that I wasn’t asking what you’d advise a two-year-old…
April 21, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Dawn, what’s so bad about this guy that’s preventing your friend from marrying him?
I would tell your friend to have realistic expectations of marriage. I would tell her not to throw away a good man so she can get some bad boy who’s more exciting. I would say that whoever she marries, the “love” (read:infatuation) is going to wear off sooner or later, and at that point she’ll be lucky if she even likes the guy she’s with. In closing, I would tell her to GROW UP!!
April 22, 2008 at 3:01 am
This doesn’t suprise me one bit.
I expected the women not to like this. You don’t know what Putin’s marriage was like, so you have to make assumptions. One thing we do know, very few men could pull this off, even with wealth and power.
Here is another reality, anytime a married Western woman wants to, they can wipe a man out in court. In 30 days, she can drive him out of his house, take his children away, make him pay for her lifestyle, and put him in jail. She can do most of these things without a shred of proof. She knows she will win 80-90% of the time. This is why Western women want to get married so badly, this is why I have actually had them propose to me. It is a no lose proposition, the worst that happens is they have a finacial incentive to divorce. If they knew that there was no incentive, and that a man might find a younger woman if she was too difficult to live with, the divorce numbers might change.
Putin is a “natural man”. He fights for power and wealth and women without apology. Others can make assumptions as to his actions but I clearly see that HE ALWAYS WINS.
April 22, 2008 at 3:36 am
Dawn,
The reason that a lot of us guys(and some gals) are here now is because we couldn’t settle for good enough. We know what it is we want in a spouse and we’re going to literally search the globe to find her. Everyone sets standards they want in a mate and if they are willing, they can go out and find and attract that type of person if they are determined. Granted it is different for a woman versus a man to do this as there is more pressure for her to find a guy and the ever present biological clock. Though if she’s willing to find out who she is, discover what she realistically wants in a partner, and is truly willing to go all out to attract him, then she should go for it. The key word here is realistically, no shooting for good looking millionaires in their late 30’s!
If she’s unwilling to truly look at who she is and what she’s projecting onto guys or is too comfortable with herself now to do anything, then she should take her life for what it is and stay with this guy.
Who I am now isn’t who I was a few months ago, and I can only imagine the changes to come after my visit to Russia this summer. It’s all a matter of being willing to invest yourself in your goals.
My 2 cents,
SiSD
April 22, 2008 at 6:55 am
I’m sure his daughters will make friends with Alina, as long as she’s of the same age as themselves…
April 22, 2008 at 7:42 am
To answer Dawn,
If I had a sister I would tell her to marry for love, not security and protection that you will marry for. Do you know what men think when they hear “marry for security and protection”?
I have a friend that recently got MS, he suffered for two years before he died. His wife took on his care that even with seven of us helping, was beyond her capability. She never complained, because she loved him. His illness destroyed them finacially, he could not offer her protection or security, and she worked cheerfully until his last day. She married for love and had no regrets.
April 22, 2008 at 8:10 am
Randall
It’s still unclear why any woman would want to marry you. You want it all, but offer nothing. You want a young woman to give you everything, you want to have no commitment to her, you want her to love you unconditionally and you want to be able to leave her at any point for someone else, without society batting an eyelid (preferably society would blame her for not ‘bonding’ with you properly). You don’t want to offer security, nor protection. Your ‘love’ doesn’t mean much when you can leave on a whim. Just what exactly are you offering?
Dawn
April 22, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Recent news broadcasted from Russia:
Putin has officially denounced both rumors (about the divorce and about the affair).
The editor of “Moskovsky Korrespondent” was fired. The edition is about closing, but the management says this has been decided long ago because of its inexpedience. It’s likely that the Putin hoax was launched in an attempt to revamp ratings.
Cultural reference from Aunt Natalia:
Taking a dip in icy water is a tradition for Russians and Ukrainians who are bold enough – any sex, any age.
Why? For health’s sake. Some practice it all the winter, they are called “walrusses” and the method – “walrussing”. Some may do it after sessions in the steam room of the Russian bath at countryside (less extreme are snow-rubbing, taking a barrel splash of ice water, or a regular cooldown common to saunas).
Some may do it on occasion of Epiphany. It is believed that the water in a cross-shape icehole, blessed by a clergyman, takes off any nagging or potential disease. These ceremonies gather lots of people.
And all this is not supposed to be done in a tuxedo. )
Our own President and officials who can’t boast VVP’s shape don’t shun cameras, either. It’s sort of boasting health and closeness to their people. )
P.S. Russian family laws are basically similar to the Western concept, only implementation depends on money, evasion tricks, and/or thug force. If anyone finds a better legal article in English, send me the link and I’ll owe you a drink in Ukraine. )
Sinc., N.
April 23, 2008 at 2:18 am
Short video of Alina:
April 24, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Randall,
That was quite an amazing feat too see. I keep forgetting you-tube has everything on it.
April 26, 2008 at 2:54 am
I have been to Tashkent a couple of times and will be there again in a couple of weeks time.
It is a fascinating place, as is Bishkek (in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan), and also Almaty (in neighbouring Kazakhstan).
Guys, if you want to get well away from Moscow – these places will blow you away.
The majority of the ladies are NOT Russian, but there are plenty around, and plenty of opportunity (think about it – less in numbers does not mean less opportunity) for men to make aquaintance with traditional and beautiful women.
BTW, Tashkent is a major airline hub, so access to these regions is easy. It is not necessary to transit through Moscow.
April 27, 2008 at 3:50 am
Between the news mouths who are spreading these rumors and Putin who is denying them, I find Putin to be more believable.
And GL, actually I would be surprised, very surprised, if it turned out that these rumors were true.
Because notwithstanding any commonality or acceptance which may or may not exist in Russia of men callously divorcing their old wives and then remarrying with young ones, if any world leader did the things that these rumor mongerers are accusing Putin of doing, it would taint the leader’s image and reputation in front of other nations and other world leaders, which is never, ever a good thing. And I think Mr. Putin was smart enough to figure that one out a long time ago, otherwise he would never have gotten this far.
Frankly I don’t believe a word of this article, and I think it was very irresponsible journalism on behalf of the newspaper that published it.
May 1, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Here is a thought for you Randall:
That old double standard of men who sleep around a lot are studs, while women are sluts…it is women who enforce this double standard because remove the framework of marriage and societies will become polygamous as women compete for the alpha males. Men would never be studs if it wasn’t for women’s fascination, admiration and competition for them. Sluts, on the other hand are competition for said women.
This is fine for the alpha males, but the point of monogamous societies is that there was a partner for everyone. What you are advocating leads to many men losing out.
Polygamous societies, the women often tolerate the husband taking more than one wife. There is simply more vicious competition amongst those women.
In the long run, this is destructive. Men are the driving forces of civilization. The gender that has only ever been interested in legislating morality. What will happen in a society where infidelity is encouraged because someone is “following their instincts”. You get anarchy and societies that will decay and eventually be over run by those that “get it”.
I won’t try to hide the fact that I am opposed to support for Putin’s rumored decision on moral grounds. Each to their own, I say. Hey, his marriage might even suck. We don’t know that.
But what I trying to get it, is that in order to have a successful society, the regulation of female sexuality is absolutely essential. And this means making sacrifices on both ends for the sake of the bigger picture, including looking down on men break social codes of ethics to “follow their instincts” ****without good reason****, despite the choices of commitment they made while younger.
May 18, 2008 at 6:56 am
Well, the guy is an ex KGB agent, as well as a leader who doesn’t put up with much s&&t from political rivals. It seems reasonable to me that if he were having an affair, he would be smart enough to keep it a secret.