10 facts about Putin's divorce

On June 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his divorce in the Kremlin Palace. The day before, he and his wife Lyudmila appeared together at the State Kremlin Palace at the ballet "Esmeralda". Sharing his impressions of the ballet, the head of state decided to report on the personal: "All my activities, all my work is connected with publicity, with absolute publicity. Some people like it, some don't. But there are people who are completely incompatible with this. For example, Lyudmila Alexandrovna has been on duty for 8 years, already 9 years. So, in general, this is a common decision."

We present 10 facts about the marriage and divorce of Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila.




30 years
Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila (nee Shkrebneva) have been married for almost 30 years.



Acquaintance
In 1980, they were introduced by a mutual friend. He invited Vladimir Putin to the theater, and also invited Lyudmila and her friend. At that time, Lyudmila worked as a stewardess and flew to Leningrad for only three days.



Proposal
3 years after they met, Vladimir Putin proposed to Lyudmila Shkrebneva. In July 1983, they registered their relationship. A few years after that, Lyudmila Putina graduated from Leningrad State University with a degree in philology and novelism.



GDR
In 1985-1990, Vladimir Putin served in the GDR in the territorial intelligence center in Dresden. Lyudmila Putina went with him.



Birth of children
In 1985, before leaving for Germany, the couple had a daughter, Maria, and in 1986, already in Dresden, their daughter Katerina.



Return to Russia
In 1990, Vladimir Putin and his wife returned to Leningrad, and in 1996 they moved to Moscow, where Putin's political career began.



First Lady of the State
In 2000, Vladimir Putin was elected President of Russia, and Lyudmila Putina became the first lady of the state.



Languages and hobbies
Lyudmila Putina is the initiator of the creation of the Center for the Development of the Russian Language. He speaks German, Spanish, French, Portuguese. He is interested in theatrical art, music, loves romances. He is fond of tennis and skiing. Sometimes he makes public statements on the Russian language and education.



Alina Kabaeva
In the late 2000s, there were rumors about Vladimir Putin's affair with the famous gymnast and Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva. There was even talk of their possible wedding. However, Vladimir Putin categorically denied these rumors.
When asked about this back in 2008, he replied: "No one is allowed to interfere in the private lives, both ordinary people and politicians."
Divorce
On June 6, 2013, it became known about the divorce of the president. Lyudmila Putina said that "this is a civilized divorce," and Vladimir Putin explained that they made the decision jointly. Putin explained that not everyone is ready for the degree of publicity that the status of the president's wife implies. He also said that he and Lyudmila will remain close people after the divorce.