May 15, 2026

Revolt Against Putin Mistress


Revolt Against Putin Mistress
Alina Kabaeva decorated with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland by President Vladimir Putin IN 2005. Kremlin.ru

The independent publication Agency recently released the article “I Hate Kabaeva,” the headline a comment pulled from a social media post. The article pointed to a famous former gymnast whose personal influence may be impacting the integrity of Russian competitors.

Alina Kabaeva is the outstanding Russian gymnast who won the European Championship at age 15, earning her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, and went on to become an Olympic champion. Her athletic achievements date back to the early 2000s, while today, she is known primarily for her relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both parties deny the relationship, but it is common knowledge that Kabaeva is the Russian president’s unofficial wife and the mother of his youngest children.

After retiring from competitive gymnastics in 2007, Kabaeva worked in televisionand was involved in social and political activities, then she essentially disappeared from public life. She returned in 2022 to announce the creation of an international rhythmic gymnastics club association called “Sky Grace,” and opened a school of the same name.

As Meduza reported last year, this school has been granted unique powers that no other similar organization possesses. Tournaments and the awarding of athletic titles are conducted according to its own rules, and it has its own competition calendar, as if Sky Grace were a separate sport. What's more, a scandal is linked to the school. 

It stems from the 42nd European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, which will take place in May in Varna, Bulgaria. It is one of the first major international tournaments where Russian athletes will be able compete since the start of Russia’s War on Ukraine. Although they will compete under a neutral flag, this is a major event for Russian rhythmic gymnastics.  

But after the list of participants was announced, it became clear that it was dominated by names from Sky Grace. According to insiders cited by Agency, this distribution of spots on the national team “does not reflect the gymnasts’ actual skill level or the results they achieved in recent competitions.”

Hundreds of posts appeared, not only accusing Kabaeva of using her administrative influence, but also brimming with irritation and hatred that seemed to have been building for a long time. People posted that this is “no longer tolerable” and that, given Kabaeva’s unspoken status, it is unlikely that anything can be done to fix it, that she “does whatever she wants,” and that no lawyer would take on the case.

On the one hand, all of this is merely outrage over certain processes within a professional athletic community. Yet, against the backdrop of growing discontent in the country, it appears symptomatic and carries a fairly clear political subtext. It is therefore not surprising that one of the most popular and frequently quoted comments surrounding the scandal is the phrase, “I don’t think Kabaeva will come to her senses. It runs in the family.”

 

You Might Also Like

Toiletries Instead of Tech
  • February 26, 2026

Toiletries Instead of Tech

Russian officials were quick to criticize the meager gifts given to Russian athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 
Sanctioning Romance
  • August 06, 2022

Sanctioning Romance

Alina Kabaeva, Vladimir Putin's alleged romantic partner, has been sanctioned by the US Treasury. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955