Daddy, The Dictator

Vladimir Putin is fiercely protective of his private life. But could his adult daughters be his Achilles heel?

- By Joanie Bergh

Scenes of death and destruction in Ukraine have been broadcast to the world for months now. Men, women, and children die in schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings as Russian bombs and missiles rain down on Ukrainian cities.

There are gut-wrenching scenes of Ukrainian citizens being executed in the street. Yet Russian President Vladimir Putin consistently denies his army is targeting civilians, dismissing the images and footage as fake news.

Meanwhile, he keeps his own family safely out of harm's way. They're probably only aware of his propaganda machine's version of the war in Ukraine, and some of them are possibly helping protect his personal wealth from sanctions. But who are they, and where are they now?

Putin's personal life is about as top secret as the true motivation for his invasion of Ukraine. The former KGB agent and his family have always been shrouded in mystery. And anyone who dares to investigate them is quickly deterred with thinly veiled threats.

“I have a private life in which I don't permit interference. It must be respected” he once said. “I've always reacted negatively to those who, with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies, prowl into others' lives.”

Putin (69) sent some of his loved ones to a luxury villa in Switzerland just before or at the start of his “special operation” in Ukraine, according to a BBC source.

Rumours have been circling for years that he's been romantically involved with Russian Olympic athlete Alina Kabaeva since 2008, and that they have two sons and twin daughters. Alina (38) and the kids are said to all have Swiss passports.