New Delhi: Amid Moscow’s intensified attacks on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rumoured girlfriend and former gymnast Alina Kabaeva has become the latest target of the war. Foes of Putin in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine have united to launch a petition change.org, demanding the Switzerland government to ‘expel’ the Russian President’s reported ‘lover’ from her luxury mountain villa, where she is allegedly hiding with her three children.
Who Is Alina Kabaeva?
38-year-old former gymnast Kabaeva is an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast. Several publications, like The Guardian, and New York Post have claimed that Kabaeva is 69-year-old Russian leader’s girlfriend and the mother of his four young children. However, two have never officially confirmed the speculations.
Since being posted, the petition has received more than 56,000 signatures.
What Does The Petition Say?
Recent reports have claimed that Kabaeva is seeing out the war with her rumoured children in a Swiss mountain retreat. “It’s time you reunite Eva Braun with her Führer,” said the strongly-worded petition, and asked the neutral country “to take action” and send her home to Putin.
“Despite the current war, Switzerland continues to host an accomplice of Putin’s regime,” added. It further questions why “given the volume of sanctions placed on Russia” Swizz authorities continue to host Kabaeva and her family in their country, at a time when the Russian leader “is destroying the lives of millions”.
Kabaeva’s Political influence
Known as “Russia’s most flexible woman”, Kabaeva was a Member of Parliament of six years representing Putin’s United Russia Party. She has also been serving as the chairperson of the board of directors of a major pro-Kremlin media group, for more than seven years for which she has been receiving a salary of almost 8 million Euros a year, according to The Daily Mail report.
Kabaeva, who is rarely seen in public, was last captured on camera in December dancing at the Divine Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament in Moscow. According to the Mirror report, many Russians see her as the reason behind the breakup of Putin’s marriage to ex-first lady Lyudmila, 63, mother of his two adult daughters.
