Leaked documents show Putin's sons being raised by European teachers and nannies

©picture alliance / TheKremlinMoscow-SvenSimon | The Kremlin Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin never misses an opportunity to criticize the West and Western values. But his alleged sons with former gymnastics champion Alina Kabajеvа do appear to be raised by Western teachers and nannies. This was discovered by the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) research cell.

According to new research, Ivan (born in 2015) and Vladimir (born in 2019), Putin's two alleged sons, are growing up in isolation and surrounded by international staff of about 20 nannies and private teachers. Most are from Germany, as well as Britain, Austria, Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, New Zealand and South Africa. This is considered a striking find given that Germany and Britain are NATO members as well as Ukraine's main allies, and are also countries that Putin dislikes so much.

Pathway to highly educated Europeans

According to the documents, every year, hundreds of thousands of euros go to staff who groom the boys and teach English and German at a high European level. The contracts also contain strict restrictions- for example, the boys are not allowed to hear anything about sex, gender or LGBTQ+ topics. Staff members are also not allowed to impose religious, political or ideological views.

No city visits

The foreigners' freedom of movement is severely restricted. They work mainly in Putin's palace on Lake Valdaj, halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in Sochi on the Black Sea. An English teacher was told in 2022 that she was not allowed to go shopping or sightseeing in her free time. "Make a list, we will buy it and deliver it after security checks."

Employees must also undergo regular extensive medical examinations and occasional quarantine. They are not allowed to talk to outsiders about their work or post information on social media. "Absolute discretion, loyalty, silence and obedience" are key.

Wages range from 1,400 to 7,000 euros a month, more than six times the Russian average. Everyone gets their own bedroom and bathroom, but apartments must sometimes be shared. "Systema" found only one reference to a Russian employee: a woman who gave Ivan music lessons.

Western press emphasizes how striking it is that foreign educators are being used while Putin criticizes members of the Russian elite who "mentally live in the West". The existence of the two sons has never been officially confirmed, and the Kremlin is doing everything it can to keep Putin's private life a secret.

©picture alliance / TheKremlinMoscow-SvenSimon | The Kremlin Moscow