Where Is Vladimir Putin's Ex-Wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva Now?

Russia's KGB agents know how to keep secrets, so it's not surprising that there are many things the world doesn't know about Vladimir Putin. The president is notorious for keeping his private life private and sharing things on a strictly need-to-know basis. Vladimir Putin's ex-wife, Lyudmila Shkrebneva, was rarely seen by his side during their 30-year marriage. They seldom traveled together or attended public events. Shkrebneva was seen even less following their divorce, leading to wild speculation about where she was.

The most shocking thing about the news that Putin had gotten divorced was that it even made it onto the news. The couple made the announcement on Russian state television in June 2013. "It was a joint decision. We hardly see each other, and each of us has our own life," Putin shared (via BBC). "We are always going to be very close to each other. I am sure, forever," he vowed. Shkrebneva claimed Putin's busy schedule had caused the rift. "Vladimir Vladimirovich is completely drowned in work," she said.

Following the divorce, Shkrebneva was seen even less than before, seemingly disappearing into obscurity. According to The Guardian, rumors regarding her whereabouts were rife. There were even theories that Putin had banished Shkrebneva to a monastery. The speculation was squashed, though, when news broke in April 2017 that Shkrebneva was living large in Europe with a new husband who is 20 years younger than her.

Questions about Vladimir Putin's ex-wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva's whereabouts were answered in April 2017 after news broke of her new relationship with Russian businessman Artur Ocheretny. The news site Sobesednik (via Meduza) uncovered documents seemingly showing Shkrebneva had remarried and changed her last name to Ocheretny. The new romance was confirmed when the Russian website Starhit posted photos of the couple traveling through Heathrow Airport in London.

Ocheretny is two decades younger than Shkrebneva. But it wasn't the age difference that was shocking. The real scandal was where the money came from to pay for their $7.46 million "mini-palace" in Biarritz, France, purchased six months after Shkrebneva and Putin's divorce was announced. According to an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the property is solely in Ocheretny's name, raising questions about how he could afford the 4,800-square-foot villa, set in a 54,000-square-foot private park.

Ocheretny headed up an arts agency that made a $420 profit in 2016. Meanwhile, the three businesses he once ran have all been liquidated. The OCCRP speculated the funds may have come from billions of dollars that Putin is believed to have squirreled away in offshore accounts. Although details of the property's purchase are shrouded in secrecy, there remains little doubt about who lives there. According to Unheard, the name on the gate to the property is "Putin Suka," which translates as "Putin b****."

Vladimir Putin's ex-wife, Lyudmila Shkrebneva, is living her best life with her new, younger husband in a sprawling French villa. But don't worry about poor Putin; he's not home alone crying into his Borscht.

Reports of his rumored romance with former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva have been rampant for years. Per NPR, Kabaeva, 30 years younger than Putin, is known as "Russia's most flexible woman." It's believed she's been involved with the president for over three decades, and they share at least three kids. There has been no confirmation of Putin and Kabaeva's relationship. Still, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the ex-athlete in August 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Kabaeva has a close relationship to Putin," it announced, explaining she was targeted "to impose severe costs for those who support President Vladimir Putin's war."

U.S.-imposed sanctions will likely have zero effect on Putin and the "uncrowned Queen of Russia." A 2023 report by Proekt (via the Daily Mail) found the couple was squirreled away in a sprawling mansion in a forest in Valadi, about 250 miles from Moscow. Putin reportedly bought the property for Kabaeva following his divorce from Shkrebneva. It's custom-built in the style of St. Petersburg's winter palace. According to Proekt, the luxury estate includes "a huge spa complex with a solarium, a cryo chamber, a 25-metre swimming pool, a hammam, a sauna, a mud room, massage baths, cosmetology and dentistry areas."