Who is the Krivonogich family? Putin's illegitimate daughter lives in Paris and works as a DJ
Vladimir Putin is not only said to have fathered two sons with the gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Svetlana Krivonogich is also said to have been his mistress. Their daughter, now 21 years old, lives in Paris.
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- Former cleaning lady and student Svetlana Krivonogich begins her fabulous rise to multimillionaire status in St. Petersburg in the early 2000s.
- She gives birth to her daughter Elizaveta on March 3, 2003. The paternity is unknown.
- Svetlana Krivonogich's involvement in Bank Rossiya and other major projects in St. Petersburg are linked to Vladimir Putin.
- In 2020, the independent "Proekt" reveals that Elizaveta is allegedly Putin's daughter and lives in the West under the pseudonym Luiza Rozova.
- In her first interview, Elizaveta says that many people look like Putin. Since the attack on Ukraine, she has avoided the public eye.
- Elizaveta studied art and cultural management in Paris and apparently works as a DJ.
"Putin's youngest daughter 'lives under a pseudonym in Paris'", marvels the British "Telegraph" - and reports on Luiza Rozova, who sometimes goes by the name Elizaveta Olegovna Rudnova. However, the story is not entirely new. Strictly speaking, it begins on March 3, 2003.
That is the date on which the young woman from Paris was born. She was born Elizaveta Krivonogich. Her mother, Svetlana Krivonogich, was one week away from her 28th birthday when she was born. The new mother worked as a cleaner, lived in modest circumstances in St. Petersburg and graduated from the State University of Economics and Finance in 2000.
It is the year in which Svetlana Krivonogich's life changes "dramatically", reports the independent Russian medium "Proekt" 20 years later. The reason for this was a rich "patron": former neighbors reported that Mister X was a "member of the St. Petersburg government". Another refers to him only as "Daddy".
From cleaning lady to businesswoman
The graduate Swetlana Krivonogich takes off. In 2001, she was given shares in several companies in one fell swoop. Among them is Rossiya Bank from St. Petersburg, which manages and moves the finances of the Russian elite. That year, Svetlana Krivonogich also started working for the bank, which became one of the country's largest banks under Vladimir Putin.
The partners are all members of Putin's inner circle, "Proekt" knows. Svetlana Krivonogich expands her portfolio in the years following the birth of her daughter. She acquires three quarters of the shares in the Igora Ski Resort not far from St. Petersburg, which is also very popular with Putin. In 2019, the resort made a profit of more than half a billion roubles.
The former cleaning lady is extremely enterprising: she buys the Leningrad Center in her hometown and converts the complex into a cultural center in which she holds three quarters of the shares. Svetlana Krivonogich is now a millionaire several times over: how did she manage it?
Putin's spokesperson does not want to know Krivonogich's name
The reason is the same reason why she kept flying from St. Petersburg to Moscow in the early 2000s. Svetlana Krivonogich has a relationship with Putin. When her daughter was born in 2003, there was no information about her father. Only her middle name is revealing: Elizaveta Vladimirovna Krivonogich.
Although "Proekt" does not show any photos of the then 17-year-old girl in 2020, it does point out a striking resemblance to the president. When the medium asked the Kremlin spokesperson about the Krivonogich family, Dmitry Peskov said he had never heard the name before.
In 2021, the Pandora Papers reveal that Krivonogich owns real estate in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Monte Carlo as well as a yacht. Her assets are estimated at 100 million dollars. She is also said to have an account at Zurich-based EFG Bank, which was allegedly set up for her by a certain Moores Rowland. According to the Guardian, this fabulous rise was only possible because the woman was allegedly Putin's mistress.
Astonishing resemblance to Putin
Her daughter still shows her life of luxury on Instagram in 2021: there are "pictures of parties, friends from influential families and trips in private jets", the British newspaper notes. However, her account is no longer public.
2021 is also the year in which Elizaveta gives an interview to the Russian GQ magazine - under her pseudonym Luiza Rozova. In it, the young woman, who says she has no interest in politics, is asked about her resemblance to Putin: "Judging by his childhood photos: Yes, he probably looks like me," she replies. "But as it turns out, there are many people who look like Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]."
The Proekt revelations have stirred up dust: "I remember the day the first reports were published darkly, because I lay in bed with the curtains closed for three days. It was so ... not very pleasant." Elizaveta, who was studying art and cultural management at the time, remains calm: "For me, plotting revenge is like karmic suicide."
Who fathered children with whom?
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Luiza Rozova, alias Elizaveta Krivonogich, is harshly attacked on social media - and temporarily deletes her Instagram account. It is unclear whether she is still studying in Paris.
Of course, Putin has not made a statement about the young woman. Her second pseudonym, Elizaveta Olegovna Rudnova, could also mean that she is the daughter of Oleg Rudnov: the businessman from Putin's inner circle died in 2015. Incidentally, Kremlin leader Putin is also said to have fathered two sons with the gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
What Putin, Svetlana Krivonogich, Alina Kabaeva and Oleg Rudnov have in common: They all became very, very rich in the early 2000s. Who fathered which child with whom will perhaps only be proven many years from now.