Uncontested divorce affects all levels of society and most recently another world leader joins the ranks of a failed marriage by getting a divorce. The almost thirty year marriage of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his wife Lyudmila has come to an end – validating rumors of their marital split. Both parties claim to want an amicable divorce and that they will remain close.
Although Russia stands as one of the countries with the highest divorce rate in the world, the news of their leader divorcing stunned many. The couple had been seen less and less together in the last few months. Their announcement came after a visit to the ballet at the Kremlin Palace.
The couple married in 1983 and had two daughters. Their daughters, Maria and Yekaterina, are now in their twenties. A source has been quoted as stating that their marriage was over ten years ago when the couple stopped living together.
Allegations have been made against the President of putting his country before his marriage. Lyudmila has alluded to him coming home close to midnight and not being able to speak with him until after he drank a kefir, a fermented milk product. She also suggested that her daughters were challenged in getting his attention.
The Putins will make their mark on Russian history. The last divorce of a Russian leader took place in 1698, when Peter the Great had his marriage dissolved. It appears like Putin has reached an amicable agreement and there doesn't seem to be a public battle ahead of the couple. In addition, the media understands that the president's private life is off limits. Vladimir Putin has gone on to state that Lyudmila should be left alone and not spotlighted in the media.
The terms of their divorce agreement have not been released. Vladimir Putin is rumored to be worth a lot more than what has been publicly reported. It looks like it could well be the job of future historians to reveal their marital assets and marital settlement agreement.
Russians are posing the question of whether the sixty year old president will remarry. Rumors have been spreading about a possible romantic involvement with former Olympic gymnast, thirty year old Alina Kabayvea.
Vladimir Putin started his political career serving fifteen years in the KGB as an intelligence officer. By 1996 he had moved to Moscow and joined the presidential staff. He gained popularity and notoriety when he organized a military operation against the Chechen rebels. In 1999 Boris Yeltsin appointed him acting president, and in 2000 Putin was officially elected to serve as president.
