President Vladimir Putin continues to be the most talked-about person in Russia — even when he’s nowhere to be seen. Moscow is buzzing with talk about the whereabouts of Putin who took a week-long hiatus from public appearances from March 5, fuelling wild rumours about the president’s health, political future and love life.
Meanwhile, several international news portals ran a report claiming that Alina Kabaeva, a former gymnast and Duma deputy who has been linked romantically with Putin, had given birth to a child this week in Switzerland’s Ticino region, suggesting that the Russian President had taken time off for a “baby mission”. The Kremlin’s Press service has brushed off the various allegations, with Putin’s spokesman repeatedly insisting that the President’s health was “fine”.