Vladimir Putin’s rumoured lover has been spotted in the shadow of the Kremlin in Moscow.
Olympic gold-winning rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 39, is rumoured to have several offspring with the Russian leader.
The footage - seen in the West for the first time - comes as the Russian star has gone into hiding since being sanctioned by multiple Western countries for her close personal ties to Putin.
One Telegram channel branded her “The Invisible Princess”.
She was last seen in Moscow in late April when she recorded a military-themed TV extravaganza called Alina 2022, which has been since broadcast several times on state television.
As part of this annual event a sombre-looking Kabaeva visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow with a group of young girls and boys to lay flowers to the dead from the second world war.
The children were unidentified - and it is unclear if any were hers.
While speculation suggests she and Putin have children together - at least three, according to anonymous US officials - the Russian public has not been informed if her true status is a secret first lady.
The West clearly believes so.
She was sanctioned by Britain last month, followed by Canada and the EU.
“She is alleged to have a close personal relationship with Putin,” said the UK in imposing the sanctions.
Canadian foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly initially called her "a person very close to Putin”.
Then she added: "I don't know (what) to call her, but his partner, yes, I guess.”
The EU labelled her “a close associate” of Putin, while the US has resisted imposing sanctions, removing her from an April list, to avoid a counterproductive personal blow to the Kremlin leader.
Neither she nor the Kremlin has responded to the sanctions against her, nor offered new comment on whether they have children together.
Earlier statements deny they share a family.
Kabaeva has not been seen in public since before they were imposed.
Earlier in the war, there were claims she was hiding in a Swiss bolthole, but her current whereabouts are unknown, although rumours suggest Sochi, where Putin spends considerable time.
Recently, all information about The National Media Group (NMG) - where she has been chairman - was wiped from open databases.
Her salary at this group, which controls multiple pro-Putin TV and newspaper outlets, has been estimated at almost £8 million a year, compared with the Russian average annual figure of £5,600.
But now all details have been wiped from open databases, reports ‘Mozhem Obyasnit’ (We can explain) Telegram channel.
“The register was cleared immediately after the imposition of sanctions against Alina Kabaeva by the UK,” added the channel which called her “The Invisible Princess”.
The followed Putin foe Alexei Navalny posting from his jail cell that NMG was responsible for a key part of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine.
“The National Media Group, which owns the lion's share of this apparatus of lies, undoubtedly belongs to Putin personally, and as such is even formally headed by Putin's mistress Alina Kabaeva.”
In the full Alina-2022 TV epic, Putin’s ‘mistress’ wore a £1,915 from a British-based designer as she led a patriotic-themed gymnastics ballet in which she linked the defeat of Hitler’s Nazis to the Russian fight against Ukraine.
She reappeared in Moscow to record the show in April after rumours that she had been hiding in Switzerland, or a Siberian nuclear bunker, following the start of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The event included some of the Soviet Union’s most patriotic songs in a celebration of the country’s victory over the Nazis — but also the ‘Z’ symbol likened by critics to a Russian swastika invented for the war in Ukraine.
She seemed to wear a wedding ring and was in a dress from the new collection of London-based Alessandra Rich who has previously supplied Samantha Cameron - for a state occasion with President Obama - and a host of A-listers.
The “vibrant and summery” fluid silk fuchsia midi dress - costing four monthly salaries of her compatriots and made in Italy - appeared to send a message that she is ready to defy Western sanctions.
Girl performers of different ages were dressed in a wartime uniform at the show.
Before disappearing again after recording the show, Russian media continued to obsess about Kabaeva’s new-look since appearing for the first time since December.
Russian Cosmopolitan said “something has really changed in Kabaeva’s face”, adding that “the legendary athlete was noticeably prettier”.
Avoiding linking her to Putin, it said of a woman widely believed to be Russia ’s unofficial first lady: “Alina Kabaeva is one of the most mysterious and secretive women in our country.
“The gymnast almost never appears in public, does not [appear in] social networks, and it is not possible to accidentally see her on the street or in shopping centres.”
Telegram channel Tol’ko Nikomu - also choosing its words carefully to avoid the Russian censor - hinted that she and Putin share the same plastic surgeon.
“A new rare appearance of Alina Kabaeva....and is again seen with a wedding ring.
“And yes, the handwriting of the family beautician is quite notable.”
Unlike previous years, her annual televised Alina- 2022 festival did not show her singing or dancing.
