Vladimir Putin's lover, Alina Kabaeva, was secretly paid by a military unit linked to the dictator when she was only 17 years old, according to new revelations. She was already a star rhythmic gymnast and had won her first gold medal two years earlier at the time. But this link to Putin - revealed by We Can Explain independent media - was around eight years before her hidden relationship with the dictator, now 72, was first publicly aired by a Russian newspaper, which was rapidly shut down.
It was also four years before Kabaeva won her Olympic Gold at the 2004 Games. The 41-year-old gymnast, who is believed to share two young sons with Putin, is now one of Russia's wealthiest women, with a hidden property empire worth at least £81.85 million, although even today Putin does not acknowledge his relationship with the glamorous woman who shares his multiple palaces, according to the report.
The significance of the payment from military unit Number 16660 located in Ramenskoye near Moscow is "intriguing" but unexplained. The unit is part of the Federal Protective Service [FSO] and is directly controlled by the Russian president. The payments were made in 2000–2001, Putin's first full year as president, and were highlighted by the media outlet from Kabaeva's official confidential pension records. The military unit was "based on a government communications battalion," according to We Can Explain, which added: "While the amounts Kabaeva earned were modest, the fact that she was associated with the FSO at just 17 years old is intriguing.".
