Angry activists storm villa of Putin’s youngest daughter, plant Ukrainian flag and plan to house refugees
French activists in the city of Biarritz, in the south of the country, have taken over the luxury villa of the daughter of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, Catherine Tikhonova.
The mansion, locally known as the Alta Mira villa, was seized by local activists on Sunday evening and will be made available for a number of Ukrainian refugees, they told various local media in France.
Locks have reportedly been changed, while a Ukrainian flag has been planted outside property.
Documents belonging to Katerina Tikhonova were found in the property, who is the youngest daughter of Russia’s state of head from his first marriage.
Moreover, documents belonging to Kirill Shamalov, her husband and Putin’s son-in-law, were also discovered as well as a copy of his passport.
In addition, multiple documents belonging to the investment business Volga Group, owned by close Putin ally and commodity trader Gennady Timchenko, were also present at the house.
The villa has reportedly a value of around £3m. It was purchased by Katerina’s husband from Timchenko.
The reports come as other media wrote that the long-term girlfriend of Russian president Vladimir Putin – Alina Kabaeva – has gone into hiding in Switzerland, together with the couple’s four young children.
Kabaeva left Russia at the start of the Ukraine war and is currently staying in a “luxury and very private” chalet in a remote part of Switzerland, according to various reports.
“While Putin carries out his assault on the Ukraine, attacking innocent citizens and causing a refugee crisis, his family is holed up in a very private and very secure chalet somewhere in Switzerland — for now, at least,” a source the publication Page Six.#
39-year old Kabaeva, an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast, is believed to have four children with the 69-year old Russian president.
They have 7-year-old twin daughters, who were born in the Swiss city of Lugano in February 2015 and they are believed to also have two boys, although their ages or existence have never been formally confirmed. All four children hold Swiss citizenship.
Kabaeva is one of the most decorated gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastic history, with two Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals and 21 European Championship medals.
First marriage
In addition to his four children with Kabaeva, Putinalso has two adult daughters, 36-year old Maria and Katerina (35), both from his first marriage to Lyudmila Shkrebneva, a former flight attendant.
Maria is married to a Dutch national, Jorrit Faassen, and lived in the Netherlands until recently. She is believed to have left Holland for her native Russia recently.
In 2008, Russian newspaper the Moskovsky Korrespondent ran a story reporting that Putin had divorced his wife and was living together with Kabaeva. The reports were denied by the Russian government and the newspaper was subsequently shut down.
Swiss measures
The reports that Putin’s partner and children are staying in Switzerland come amid the country’s decision, last week, to break with its historic tradition of neutrality in global conflicts, in joining the UK and the European Union in freezing Russian assets.
The sanctions package involves freezing the personal assets of Putin, prime minister Mikhail Mishustin and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
A number of Russian companies and banks have also been targeted.
Switzerland’s Federal Council has further joined the EU in closing airspace to aircrafts with Russian markings, and has begun sending relief supplies to Poland to help with settling Ukrainian refugees.
“Switzerland reaffirms its solidarity with Ukraine and its people,” the Council’s statement read last week.