Pat Ralph

<p>From his first marriage of 30 years to reports of a girlfriend, Putin and his administration have fought hard to prevent the media and the world from knowing much about him — aside from the carefully curated macho man on horseback, lifting weights and posing in shirtless photos.</p>

<p>He has specifically made a concerted effort to shield his children from any spotlight, prompting many to even question whether he has any kids at all.</p>

<p>Rumors have swirled for years that Putin has two daughters with his ex-wife, and that his reported girlfriend may have had another daughter in 2015.</p>

<p>Here is what we know about the mysterious lives of Putin's secret kids.</p>

<h1> Putin had two daughters in his first marriage to former flight attendant Lyudmila Shkrebneva, who he was married to for three decades before their divorce in 2013. </h1>

<p>Sources: <a id="7ede5065-1ee9-3304-a25b-3076cbb2b675" href="http://eng.putin.kremlin.ru/bio">  Vladimir Putin, </a> <a id="528deb8a-7464-322d-a36d-6d561993aa63" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="6bb1c323-fc2f-337e-a840-4eb6da3bb9a0" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-putins-ex-wife-2017-7?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Business Insider </a></p>

<h1> Their daughters names are Maria and Katerina. While Maria was born in Leningrad in 1985, Katerina was born in Germany in 1986 when the family lived there during her fathers time in the KGB. </h1>

<p>Sources: <a id="767ab052-3740-33b5-a2d7-a58156da0248" href="http://eng.putin.kremlin.ru/bio">  Vladimir Putin </a> , <a id="528deb8a-7464-322d-a36d-6d561993aa63" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="35dc788f-c34f-33ce-abf2-499f1af08df2" href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/08/29/top-secret-family-life-vladimir-putin-265425.html">  Newsweek </a></p>

<h1> Both girls are named after their grandmothers. Marias nickname is Masha and Katerinas nickname is Katya. </h1>

<h1> When the family moved to Moscow in 1996, the girls attended a German-language school. The children were reportedly removed from school when Putin became acting president, and teachers educated them at home. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="35dc788f-c34f-33ce-abf2-499f1af08df2" href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/08/29/top-secret-family-life-vladimir-putin-265425.html">  Newsweek </a></p>

<h1> "Not all fathers are as loving with their children as he is," Lyudmila said in a quote on Putins government website. "And he has always spoiled them, while I was the one who had to discipline them." </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="767ab052-3740-33b5-a2d7-a58156da0248" href="http://eng.putin.kremlin.ru/bio">  Vladimir Putin </a></p>

<h1> Maria studied biology in college and went to medical school in Moscow, while Katerina majored in Asian Studies in college. Both girls attended university under false identities. </h1>

<p>Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images</p>

<p>Sources: <a id="528deb8a-7464-322d-a36d-6d561993aa63" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="35dc788f-c34f-33ce-abf2-499f1af08df2" href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/08/29/top-secret-family-life-vladimir-putin-265425.html">  Newsweek </a></p>

<h1> Maria, now 33, is a medical researcher and lives in Moscow with her Dutch husband, Jorrit Faassen. </h1>

<p>Sources: <a id="528deb8a-7464-322d-a36d-6d561993aa63" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="35dc788f-c34f-33ce-abf2-499f1af08df2" href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/08/29/top-secret-family-life-vladimir-putin-265425.html">  Newsweek </a> , <a id="529b507d-1c6c-35ed-ae43-002997acbfc6" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-25/putin-family-split-offers-peek-at-secret-dealings-of-russia-inc">  Bloomberg </a></p>

<h1> Maria and Faassen reportedly have a child — Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone in 2017 that he was a grandfather. When Stone asked if he played with his grandchild, Putin replied, "Very seldom, unfortunately." </h1>

<p>Sources: <a id="528deb8a-7464-322d-a36d-6d561993aa63" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="7bb8203a-eeee-3cde-a665-37160e5b97af" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/valdimir-putin-grandfather-russia-oliver-stone-documentary-president-moscow-family-kremlin-personal-a7789461.html">  The Independent </a> , <a id="529b507d-1c6c-35ed-ae43-002997acbfc6" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-25/putin-family-split-offers-peek-at-secret-dealings-of-russia-inc">  Bloomberg </a> , <a id="9b2581da-eba3-3d70-ab35-9ba2b93d6f24" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3426594/Putin-s-mystery-eldest-daughter-pictured-time-father-came-power-s-fan-Little-Britain.html">  Daily Mail </a></p>

<h1> Meanwhile, Katerina reportedly lives a high-flying life, living in lavish apartments and acquiring a fortune. </h1>

<p>Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool Photo via AP</p>

<h1> Katerina, now 33, is an accomplished acrobatic dancer and has a senior position at her alma mater, Moscow State University, heading a $1.7 billion startup incubator. </h1>

<p>Sources: <a id="528deb8a-7464-322d-a36d-6d561993aa63" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="529b507d-1c6c-35ed-ae43-002997acbfc6" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-25/putin-family-split-offers-peek-at-secret-dealings-of-russia-inc">  Bloomberg </a></p>

<h1> Katerina married Russian billionaire Kirill Shamalov in 2013. But the couple divorced earlier this year — revealing they were worth $2 billion. </h1>

<p>Reuters/Kommersant Photo/Dmitry Dukhanin</p>

<p>Sources: <a id="529b507d-1c6c-35ed-ae43-002997acbfc6" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-25/putin-family-split-offers-peek-at-secret-dealings-of-russia-inc">  Bloomberg </a> , <a id="f53a3ade-b154-3fbe-a384-0584c19b5c01" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-shamalov/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="44b95bf7-4f5e-3029-a663-7983d8db45dd" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/russia-putin-daughter-katerina-tikhonova">  The Guardian </a></p>

<h1> There are no official current photos of the girls, and there is some debate over their exact names. For Katerina, we found the first names "Katerina", "Katya", and "Yekaterina", and the last names "Putina", "Tikhonova", and "Shamalov". </h1>

<p>Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo / AP Images</p>

<h1> Finally, there are rumors that Putin has a third daughter with girlfriend and former Russian rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="913250be-9f39-3c05-ae68-8de1cfc95f67" href="https://nypost.com/2015/03/13/putin-in-switzerland-for-birth-of-his-lovechild/">  New York Post </a></p>

<h1> But neither the child nor the relationship with Kabaeva have been confirmed. </h1>

<p>REUTERS/ITAR-TASS/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE</p>

<p>Source: <a id="4ba8f7d2-7d79-3e3e-a998-e2e052161bb6" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/putin-spokesman-denies-rumor-that-he-had-a-baby-with-his-gymnast-girlfriend-2015-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Business Insider </a></p>

<h1> Putin has tried to shelter his children from the media, attempting to keep them out of politics so they can live normal lives. </h1>

<p>Sources: <a id="528deb8a-7464-322d-a36d-6d561993aa63" href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/">  Reuters </a> , <a id="6bb1c323-fc2f-337e-a840-4eb6da3bb9a0" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-putins-ex-wife-2017-7?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Business Insider </a></p>

<h1> Despite his carefully curated mystery, Katerina made her debut on Russian state TV as a biotechnology expert in December. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="fcd37483-f8d4-3d8e-a43c-d387040e18a5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-daughter-katerina-tikhonova-makes-russian-tv-debut-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Business Insider </a></p>

<h1> Her appearance did not include comment on her being related to Putin, nearly a year after a dance competition official previously confirmed her identity as Putins daughter before retracting his comment. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="905bb8bb-5ebb-388a-aebb-7772d3c63178" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-daughter-exclusive/exclusive-colleague-names-putins-daughter-then-withdraws-comments-idUSKBN1DS1K6">  Reuters </a></p>

<h1> Despite reports covering Katerinas divorce and speculation that Maria moved from a suburb near the Dutch capital of the Hague to Moscow, Putin has still not publicly acknowledged details of his family life. His carefully curated mystery continues. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="c1174d6e-83bb-3577-a0b7-8675b93419bb" href="https://germania.one/doch-putina-razvelas-s-muzhem-oligarhom/">  Germania.one </a> , <a id="ac5758a7-35e7-331f-a7aa-cdc4de5427ba" href="https://www.newsweek.com/putins-daughter-penthouse-holland-sale-3-million-590169">  Newsweek </a></p>

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<p><strong> SEE ALSO: <span id="23c4d04c-d33d-334b-aa1c-f607d30efc5f" itemtype="link" itemscope="itemscope">  Vladimir Putin's hard-core daily routine includes hours of swimming, late nights, and no alcohol </span> </strong></p>

<p><strong> DON'T MISS: <span id="85f01790-325d-3b37-abbb-0c025e2cd2e7" itemtype="link" itemscope="itemscope">  9 over-the-top, macho Putin stunts that were nowhere near as impressive as they seemed </span> </strong></p>

Russian president Vladimir Putin, 65, has tried to keep his personal life almost entirely out of the spotlight.

Putin has 2, maybe 3, daughters he never talks about — here's everything we know about them

<p>They are survived by their five children, 17 grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and two siblings.</p>

<p>Bush was <a id="07913e9f-5bbb-37d6-a61c-c0a3dee14703" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-hw-bush-hospitalized-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital </a> in April after "contracting an infection that spread to his blood," according to a statement from Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath. His health had been declining in recent years.</p>

<p>Barbara Bush had been battling Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and congestive heart failure, and was hospitalized several times over the last year.</p>

<p>Bush, who resided in the White House for four years while her husband, served as Commander in Chief, had been married to the 41st president of the United States for 73 years.</p>

<p>Described as a true love story, here is an inside look at the longest marriage in US presidential history:</p>

<h1> Barbara Pierce and George Bush met at a dance over Christmas vacation in 1942. She was 16 and he was 17, and Barbara claimed that George was the first boy she ever kissed. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="0b1c9fa8-8a8b-33c3-a2c6-4491727f3729" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-george-and-barbara-bush-a-storybook-73-year-marriage-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Associated Press </a></p>

<h1> After dating for a year and a half, the two became engaged and planned to get married before George went off to serve in World War II as a Navy pilot. He famously named three of his Navy planes after her, and the two shared love letters while he was away. </h1>

<h1> On January 6, 1945, the couple married at the First Presbyterian Church in Rye, New York while George was on leave from war. He was 20 and she was 19. </h1>

<p>George Bush Presidential Library and Museum</p>

<h1> In the first year of their marriage, they moved around to Michigan, Maryland, and Virginia because of Georges naval base assignments. "You have given me joy that few men know," he once wrote to her in a letter. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="c345e43e-81b9-3cdf-a16d-ea8c93e4a446" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081230181434/http://www.firstladies.org:80/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=42">  The National First Ladies Library </a></p>

<h1> Over the next 13 years, the couple had six children: George, Robin, Jeb, Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. Robin died of leukemia at the age of three. </h1>

<h1> After the war was over, George and Barbara moved the family to Texas, where he entered the oil business. The couple has moved over two dozen times during their marriage. </h1>

<h1> George was elected as a congressman from Texas in 1966, and Barbara took care of the children as he campaigned. She would sometimes join him on the trail, and would be there every step of the way as he moved up in the political world. </h1>

<h1> When former President Richard Nixon appointed Bush as Chairman of the RNC during Watergate, Barbara urged her husband not take the job because of the political climate in DC. Nevertheless, he accepted the offer. </h1>

<h1> When the Bush family lived in China while George served as head of the US Liaison Office under President Gerald Ford, the couple would regularly take bike rides and explore their new home. </h1>

<h1> George ran for the presidency in 1980, but fell short in the GOP primary to Ronald Reagan. Bush joined Reagans winning ticket as his vice presidential candidate and helped the Republicans take back the White House. </h1>

<h1> When George ran for the presidency in 1988, Barbara again campaigned actively for him and became the second candidates wife to speak on their behalf at the party convention. George became the 41st president of the United States. </h1>

<h1> After they left the White House in 1993, George and Barbara helped campaign for their childrens quests for public office. The most notable were George W., who served as governor of Texas and the 43rd US president, and Jeb, who served as governor of Florida and ran for president. George W. credits his gubernatorial win to his parents. </h1>

<h1> Barbara has described her and her husband as "the two luckiest people in the world, and when all the dust is settled and all the crowds are gone, the things that matter are faith, family and friends. We have been inordinately blessed, and we know that." </h1>

<h1> "I have climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world, but even that cannot hold a candle to being Barbaras husband," George once wrote. </h1>

<h1> He gives Barbara all the credit when it came to raising their children. George described her as "the mainstay, of course, the parent who was always there to help solve the daily problems and emergencies of teen and preteen life." </h1>

<h1> They have weathered some hardships. When allegations surfaced in October 2017 of George inappropriately touching women, their office released a statement saying he "patted womens rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner" and apologized to "anyone he has offended." </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="f63e1da7-a2d3-3bb8-a568-c476643b98cc" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-accused-george-h-w-bush-sexual-harassment-2017-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Business </a> <a id="0bd35e2d-643d-3a28-a56b-a88e4551cd78" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-hw-bush-heather-lind-allegations-sexual-assault-2017-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Insider </a></p>

<h1> When their daughter Robin had cancer, George was too upset to visit her. Barbara refused to let anyone cry in front of Robin and remained with her at the hospital. George reportedly "marveled" at his wifes strength. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="dced167c-24e2-3374-a722-f5b3b165f655" href="https://twitter.com/amanbatheja/status/985681961137201152">  "What It Takes" </a></p>

<h1> When George served as CIA director in the 1970s, he had to keep details of his job classified, and Barbara went through a bout of depression. But George took care of her. </h1>

<p>Barry Soorenko / CNP /MediaPunch/IPX</p>

<h1> "Night after night, George held me weeping in his arms while I tried to explain my feelings," she said. "I almost wonder why he didnt leave me." </h1>

<h1> He has described their love as a "storybook." Every night before the couple went to sleep, to the end, George still said "I love you, Barbie." </h1>

<p>Sources: <a id="2140f9c3-0328-3c61-a538-f7495ff477b2" href="https://www.today.com/news/jenna-bush-hager-shares-emotional-update-grandma-barbara-bush-she-t127102">  Jenna Bush </a> , <a id="0b1c9fa8-8a8b-33c3-a2c6-4491727f3729" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-george-and-barbara-bush-a-storybook-73-year-marriage-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  Associated Press </a></p>

<h1> In a recent interview, Barbara said having a good husband is key to living a long life. "George Bush has given me the world. He is the best — thoughtful and loving," she said. "I am still old and still in love with the man I married 72 years ago." </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="48e8793e-0be0-3209-aac7-eead70f9c699" href="https://saqonline.smith.edu/publication/?i=480447#{%22issue_id%22:%22480447%22,%22page%22:38}">  Smith Alumnae Quarterly </a></p>

<h1> She told C-SPAN in 2013 that she and George pray aloud each night and sometimes "fight over whose turn it is." </h1>

<h1> Barbara said she didnt fear death for herself or "my precious George.""I know there is a great God, and Im not worried." </h1>

<h1> George H.W. Bush expressed a similar spiritual devotion: "There is a God and He is good, and his love, while free, has a self imposed cost: We must be good to one another." </h1>

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<p><strong> SEE ALSO: <span id="3abed0f8-40f6-3821-a0cf-8fb837367cc0" itemtype="link" itemscope="itemscope">  Inside the marriage of Donald and Melania Trump, who broke up once before, reportedly sleep in different bedrooms, and are weathering rumors of his affairs </span> </strong></p>

<p><strong> DON'T MISS: <span id="2f065b47-fada-3549-aa95-1593767a6f9a" itemtype="link" itemscope="itemscope">  Inside the marriage of Barack and Michelle Obama, who met at work and kissed outside an ice cream store on their first date </span> </strong></p>

Former President George H.W. Bush <a id="2841f9bf-fb7c-3f7a-a431-47b813fd648e" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/george-hw-bush-dead-obituary-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  died Friday, November 30 at age 94 </a> . His wife, the former First Lady Barbara Bush, <a id="93a0e2fa-192a-3050-aca0-40590cd45977" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/barbara-bush-dies-at-92-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  died in April at age 92 </a> .

Inside the 'storybook' marriage of Barbara and George H.W. Bush — who were married longer than any first couple, and still said 'I love you' every night

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Pat Ralph

Articles written by the author

Putin has 2, maybe 3, daughters he never talks about — here's everything we know about them

Inside the 'storybook' marriage of Barbara and George H.W. Bush — who were married longer than any first couple, and still said 'I love you' every night