Russian dictators have long been a little sensitive where their offspring are concerned. When Joseph Stalin learnt that his teenage daughter Svetlana had a boyfriend, he exiled the poor man to the Arctic Circle.
In his own way, Vladimir Putin is no less controlling. His fathering of two sons has only now been revealed after the pair spent years as a closely guarded state secret.
A Russian investigative journalism website has announced that the two young Putins are his children by former Olympic gold medal-winning rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, a glamorous 41-year-old who was once convicted of doping and whose romantic relationship with the Russian leader has been an open secret in his country for at least 16 years.
According to The Dossier Center, the offspring of this long-time clandestine relationship are Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five. They spend most of their time at Putin’s heavily guarded mansion near Lake Valdai, north-west of Moscow, where they live a life of luxury in…