Vladimir Putin ’s “mistress” has flown to St Petersburg ahead of a key economic forum he will use in a bid to save his country from the crippling impact of Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine.
Usually reclusive Olympic gold-winning rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 39, suspected to have a secret family with the Kremlin leader, was seen for the second time in a week amid rumours of his failing health.
She was pictured with grim-faced female companions on a “private tour” of the city’s Russian Museum.
An eyewitness said she was prevented from getting closer to Kabaeva by the women - possibly plain-clothed bodyguards - who were with her, reported Fontanka.
It is her second public appearance since Kabaeva was sanctioned by the UK, EU and Canada for her close personal relationship with Putin, ties which, if true, he has not admitted to Russians.
She wore modest jeans, white T-shirt, and a blue jacket thrown over her shoulders while carrying a £4,220 Valentino Roman stud large bag.
She is rumoured to have two or three children with Putin, 69, and there has been an unconfirmed claim that she is again pregnant.
Putin was said to be “subdued and withdrawn” over the news, reported General SVR Telegram channel which has been separately ahead of the game in claiming the Russian leader is suffering from cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
Kabaeva has not commented on the sanctions imposed on her nor her closeness to Putin.
Last week the glamorous “secret first lady” was pictured in Sochi with children at a gymnastics training camp, only her second appearance this year.
Putin is also due to address the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum this week, despite a boycott by most usual Western participants due to the war in Ukraine.
He hopes to cajole Asian and other non-Western participants into propping up his creaking sanctions-hit economy.
His spokesman accused the West of seeking to disrupt the crucial forum by exerting pressure on foreign representatives not to attend, to punish Putin for the war in Ukraine.
He admitted there would be “fewer” business figures from the West, and declined to name foreigners expected to attend .
“There will be fewer of them, not because they do not want to, and not because they all made such a decision,” he said.
And Russia would later give benefits to those who defied Western pressure and stayed loyal to Russia in its hour of need, he indicated.
Putin was also out and about today presenting Hero of Russia awards - the country’s highest honour - to recipients. The awards were given as the country marked the annual Russia Day.
However, his public appearances are far less common than in previous years.
Former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele recently told the BBC : “I don’t see him [Putin] being in power for more than three-six months from now. There are signs his health is failing for a start which will be a factor in this.
“And if what we’re being told by the CIA and others and our own sources is true then it looks as though he could become incapacitated over that sort of period of time.”
“This is a strongman regime where people have to have fear of the leader and if the leader is incapacitated medically then there will be a move against him, I'm sure.”
Russian expert Professor Mark Galeotti said today in The Sunday Times that the “persistence of rumours about his health” may be why Putin is thinking short term about the war in Ukraine.
Kabaeva was seen on a private tour of a special exhibition of the works of Mikhail Vrubel in the Russian Museum, St Petersburg.
A former loyalist MP, she is now a media mogul, heading a company owning pro-Putin TV channels and newspapers, for which she is paid an estimated £8 million a year.
