Vladimir Putin’s daughters are stepping into the public eye after years of secrecy as the Russian president is “considering his mortality,” according to a report.
Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova spoke at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum this week, not to share insights on their professional experience, but to boost their father’s image, a former CIA agent told The Daily Beast.
“Remember it’s Putin world and we just live in it,” Ronald Marks, who has 38 years of US intelligence work under his belt, told the outlet about the suddenly public-facing women.
“That’s an extension of him… his desire to recreate the Russian empire, his desire to show himself as the most powerful guy in Russia. Young daughters represent vitality for him.”
Putin, 71, has been notoriously secretive about his children — rarely addressing their activities or even acknowledging their existence — until the last two years as rumors of his dwindling health have gained traction.
Vorontsova, 39, a genetics researcher and Tikhonova, 37, a tech executive and former acrobatic dancer, boldly accepted invitations to speak at the summit about their respective careers, indicating that their powerful father is looking to his family ties to bolster his legacy.
“He’s considering his mortality,” Marks told the outlet.
“He’s getting to be at that age right now where he’s now looking for his legacy. And both of those kids to my understanding are pretty sharp,” he continued.
“If those daughters can step out front and center and represent him, I think he’ll take advantage of it.”
The summit — hosted by Putin’s home of St. Petersburg — also serves as an “easy forum” to test the women’s PR ability, Marks added.
Although they’ve mainly stayed out of the limelight, Vorontsova and Tikhonova have been brought to the forefront several times in recent years.
In 2022, the US sanctioned the pair after exposing how they “enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people,” the White House said at the time.
Tikhonova is a former competitive dancer who now runs an artificial intelligence initiative at Moscow State University. Meanwhile, Vorontsova is a medical researcher and co-owner of Nomenko, a healthcare investment firm.
Putin is widely rumored to have other children, though their identities have never been confirmed.