Putin has two secret sons with gymnast

Russian president Vladimir Putin has two secret sons who live an isolated life of luxury in a heavily-guarded mansion, according to a Russian investigative journalism website.

The Dossier Centre reported that Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, spend most of the year at their father’s vast mansion near Lake Valdai, northwest of Moscow.

Their mother is Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose relationship with Putin has been an open secret in Russia for more than a decade, the Dossier Centre claim.

The two boys are surrounded by governesses, nannies, teachers and officers from the Kremlin Federal Guard and enjoy playing with a huge lego set and an iPad, the report said.

“They have to play mostly alone or with adults,” the report, compiled with the help of a member of staff at the Valdai residence, said. “They only see their parents late at night.”