Putin’s daughters make rare appearance at St. Petersburg economic forum

(CNN) — The daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin rarely make public appearances, but this week they took part in panels at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, believed to be in their mid to late 30s, are Putin’s daughters from his marriage to former wife Lyudmila, whom he divorced in 2013 after nearly 30 years of marriage.

Putin has said his daughters work in science and education and that he has grandchildren, but he has never confirmed their names.

Both of them have attended the annual St. Petersburg forum in the past, but only the younger daughter, Tikhonova, has been a speaker, according to the Russian independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe.

Tikhonova, who is a tech executive, made a video appearance on Thursday at a forum about ensuring the “technological sovereignty” of the military-industrial complex. She was listed in the forum’s list of speakers as the general director of the National Intellectual Development Foundation (NIDF).

The panel was moderated by television host and prominent Putin propagandist Vladimir Soloviev.

Tikhonova was sanctioned by the US and UK in April 2022, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for her work supporting the Russian defense ministry. In her remarks at the forum, she talked about innovation and eliminating the import of technologies related to the civil and military spheres.

The older daughter, Maria Vorontsova, who was also sanctioned, spoke in person at a panel on Friday about innovations in biotechnology and bioproduction. Vorontsova, an endocrinologist, was listed as a member of the Russian Association for the Promotion of Science.

Analysts believe some of Putin’s wealth may be hidden in the bank accounts of family members.

The anti-corruption foundation of late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny said in January this year that according to their investigation, Vorontsova made more than $10 million between 2019 and 2022 as an employee of a medical company. CNN is not able to independently verify this claim.

Putin is very secretive about his daughters and family life, with some analysts believing it is because he wants to appear powerful and not show vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

The Russian president has previously said that his daughters are not involved in politics and live ordinary lives. Tikhonova reportedly once tried to pursue a career in acrobatic rock and roll.

Vorontsova reportedly married a Dutch businessman and the couple is said to have lived in a $3.3 million apartment in the Netherlands. A multimillion-dollar, eight-bedroom villa in Biarritz, France has been linked to Tikhonova. It was bought by her former husband, Kirill Shamalov.

The Kremlin has always denied rumours that Putin has more children outside of his former marriage who all appear to have lived in Western countries.

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