Olympic gymnast, 37, said to be Vladimir Putin's lover 'vanishes after giving birth to twins in Moscow last year'
A former gymnast who is rumoured to have had twins with Vladimir Putin has vanished from the public eye.
Alina Kabaeva, a famous 37-year-old Olympic gold medallist, has not been seen since 2018.
At the time, she was said to be two months pregnant with the President and she is believed to have given birth to twin boys in April last year at a Moscow clinic.
Alina Kabaeva, a 37-year-old Olympic gold medallist who is the rumoured lover of Vladimir Putin, has not been seen in public since 2018 (pictured together in 2004)
But there is concern in Russia that she has since disappeared, according to The Sun.
Alina is one of the most decorated gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastic history, with 2 Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals, and 25 European Championship medals.
After retiring from the sport, she turned to politics, and became an MP in Putin's United Russia party.
She also once posed semi-naked in a magazine, has appeared in a film and attempted a singing career.
Romance between the athlete and the Russian President was first rumoured in 2008 and it is believed she had her first baby with the ruler in 2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Russian gymnasts Alina Kabayeva and Svetlana Khorkina ahead of the Olympics in 2004
She most recently served as boss of National Media Group which won an exclusive contract to show Netflix.
Romance between the athlete and the Russian President was first rumoured in 2008.
She was previously engaged to politician David Museliani in 2004 but they split a year later.
The Moskovsky Korrespondent reported in 2008 that she and Putin were engaged, but the story was denied and the newspaper was shut down.
She is also rumoured to have had her first child in 2015, with Putin alleged to be the father, which has also been denied.
Alina is one of the most decorated gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastic history, with 2 Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals, and 25 European Championship medals
Alina Kabaeva during qualification of 2017 World Championships for gymnastics in Pesaro, Italy (left and right)
Last year, when rumours spread about her giving birth to twins, the entire VIP fourth floor at the Kulakov Research Centre for Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Perinatology was cleared to accommodate the former gymnast and MP, say reports.
One major newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets carried the story on its website only to suddenly delete it and wipe all mentions of the claims, including from the internet cache.
Putin previously married Lyudmila Shkrebneva in 1983 and they have two daughters together, Mariya Putina and Yekaterina Putina.
The glamorous athlete has appeared on the cover of Russian Vogue - pictured here at the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St Petersburg in 2008
There was frequent speculation the couple had divorced and they finally confirmed their split in 2013.
A Moscow source told The Sun: 'Putin is an intensely private man - he has been hiding his two adult daughters under fake IDs for years.
'Even now, though he talks about them occasionally, he never names them.
'If Alina gave birth to his children, her hiding away might be one of the strongest hints pointing to this. He is obsessive about the security of his family.'