Russia
is abuzz with rumors about the love life of its former first lady, Lyudmila
Putina, amid reports the 58-year-old ex-wife of the Russian President may have
secretly remarried.
According
to an investigation by an independent Russian-language news magazine,
"Sobesednik," or "Interlocutor," the former Mrs. Putina
appears to have changed her name on official records to Lyudmila Ocheretnaya.
Under
the headline "Lyudmila is No Longer Putin," the magazine says she has
apparently adopted the surname of a 37-year-old businessman, Artur Ocheretny --
more than 20 years her junior -- with whom she has been photographed in recent
months.
There
is no confirmation of the union as marriage certificates are not public in
Russia.
The
Kremlin has refused to comment on the reports, with Vladimir Putin's spokesman,
Dmitry Peskov, reminding state media that "Vladimir and Lyudmila are
divorced" and that "consequently, I am not in a position to say anything
about Lyudmila or her personal life."
Putin
and his wife announced their divorce, after more than 30 years of marriage, on
television in July 2013, after they attended a ballet performance.
Since
then, the former first lady has kept an extremely low public profile, even
sparking rumors that the former Aeroflot stewardess had joined an Orthodox
convent to seek solace.
Details
about Vladimir Putin's family and personal life are closely guarded by the
Kremlin, with even the whereabouts of his two grown-up children generally
unknown to the public.
Speculation
has also been rife about Putin's own relationship with a 32-year-old former
Olympic gymnast, Alina Kabaeva.
Last
year, the Kremlin was forced to deny reports that the President, 63, had
fathered children with her.
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