Alina Kabaeva

About Alina Kabaeva

Alina Maratovna Kabaeva (or Kabayeva) (Russian Cyrillic: Алина Маратовна Кабаева; Tatar Cyrillic: Әлинә Марат кызы Кабаева) is a Russian-Uzbek politician, musician, media manager and retired individual rhythmic gymnast, who has been designated Honoured Master of Sports by the Russian government.

Kabaeva is one of the most decorated gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastic history, with 2 Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals, and 21 European Championship medals.

In 2001, Kabaeva appeared in the Japanese movie, Red Shadow, performing a gymnastics routine.

Since 2005, Kabaeva has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia. Since February 2008, she has been chairwoman of the Public Council of the National Media Group, the media group that controls Izvestia, Channel One and REN TV. From 2007 to 2014, Kabaeva was a State Duma deputy from United Russia. In September 2014, Kabaeva became the chairwoman of the board of directors of the National Media Group.

In January 2011, Kabaeva appeared on the cover of Vogue Russia. In the same month, she launched her singing career, taking to the stage for the first time.

In April 2008, the Moskovsky Korrespondent reported that Kabaeva was engaged to Russian president Vladimir Putin. In July 2013, Kabaeva said that she did not have children. In 2019, she reportedly gave birth to twin sons at the Kulakov maternity clinic in Moscow. However, the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported in 2022 that a Swiss gynecologist of Russian origin assisted at both births, stating that the first in 2015 was of a boy and the second in 2019 of another boy, and that both were Putin's sons.