Vladimir Putin hiding lover Alina Kabaeva and their kids in Switzerland

Putin has always denied an affair with former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva

Vladimir Putin's rumoured mistress, Alina Kabaeva, is apparently hiding in Switzerland with their four young children. Together, Putin and Kabaeva, who won gold in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2004 Athens Olympics, are believed to have had two young boys and twin girls. This is something that the Russian president has never confirmed. A source told Page Six: “While Putin carries out his assault on the Ukraine, attacking innocent citizens and causing a refugee crisis, his family is holed up in a very private and very secure chalet somewhere in Switzerland – for now, at least.” Their children were all born in Switzerland and "have Swiss passports." Putin has never spoken about his private life, criticising those who "with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies prowl into others' lives," and saying that he does not "permit interference" into his private life. For around 30 years, Putin was married to air hostess Lyudmila Putina but in 2013 it was announced that they were getting divorced. Together they had two daughters, Maria and Katerina, 36 and 35 respectively. Since then, he has always denied rumours of an affair with Kabaeva. Some have claimed the pair secretly married in a private Russian Orthodox ceremony. [caption id="attachment_321514" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Alina Kabaeva won gold in the rhythmic gymnastics at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, having picked up a bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games (Vladimir Rys/Getty)[/caption] Kabaeva became a pro-Kremlin member of parliament, before being appointed in 2014 by the Kremlin to run the state-owned National Media Group, with a reported salary of $10m a year. Switzerland has surprisingly taken the decision not to remain neutral on the Ukraine invasion though, taking a tough stance on Russia's invasion of the country. At the end of February, the Swiss Federal Council announced it had frozen the assets of a number of Russian individuals and companies and said "financial sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are also to be implemented with immediate effect.” It is not known whether these sanctions will impact Kabaeva and her children. Related links:

• Vladimir Putin says western sanctions 'equivalent to declaring war'
• Klitschko brothers on Vladimir Putin's 23-man 'kill list' following Ukraine invasion
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