President Vladimir Putin Rumors Claim he Divorced his Wife to Marry Gymnast Alina Kabaeva

President Vladimir Putin is rumored to have divorced his wife, Lyudmila Putin to marry rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, according to La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper.  Kabaeva won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and has earned several European awards.  The newspapers states, “Russians consider Kabaeva to be sexier than Sharapova and Kournikova.”

La Repubblica reported that “Putin divorced his wife in a St. Petersburg registry office,” and concludes that Putin had the marriage planned a long time ago.  Kabaeva was placed as the deputy head of the State Duma committee on Youth Affairs and has also chaired the supervisory board of the National Media Group.

The spokesman for Kabaeva has denied the wedding allegations.