Putin's Daughter And 4-Year-Old Grandchild Flew To Munich 50 Times In 2 Years: Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a four-year-old granddaughter who used to live between Moscow and Munich, where her father worked, until Kremlin invaded Ukraine.

The girl flew along with her mother Katerina Tikhonova, the youngest daughter of Putin, to Munich over 50 times in the past two years, said a report by Important Stories. This came to light in a joint investigation conducted by the media organization and German publication Der Spiegel.

The girl's father is the former artistic director of the Bavarian State Ballet, Igor Zelensky.

The report added that on Dec. 9, 2019, a charter flight from Munich landed at the VIP terminal of Vnukovo airport. The "unusual passengers" included Zelensky, Tikhonova and their daughter. Besides the trio, other passengers included three secret employees of the Security Service of the President of Russia, a piano teacher and two nannies.

According to Important Stories, the details about the trio were leaked to them by an anonymous source. Several documents, including the e-mails sent and received by Tikhonova's personal bodyguard Alexei Skripchak, were handed over to the media outlet by the unnamed source.

Skripchak’s documents contained the passports of Tikhonova, Zelensky, and the girl. Though Important Stories could identify the child from her passport, the report did not name her due to ethical reasons. The passport details, however, established her patronymic as Igorevna, hinting at her relation to Zelensky.

The report added that 52-year-old Zelensky was the former director of Bavarian State Ballet. A member of the ballet confirmed him as "most likely a partner of Putin’s daughter" during the investigation.

Tikhonova reportedly broke up with her first husband in 2017 and since then, has been flying to Munich actively, sometimes several times a month.

By the end of 2019, Tikhonova, apparently tired of constantly flying to Munich, decided to move in with her partner. In October 2019, a security officer received a letter titled "Moving to Germany," describing the items being shifted. Tikhonova reportedly had a huge collection of books, and the letter specifically stipulated what to do with them.

Though Zelensky's contract with the Bavarian Ballet was supposed to end only in 2026, he announced his departure from the theater just after the war broke out. "Leading a ballet troupe requires absolute concentration and efficiency. At present, however, personal, family matters require my full attention and time, which is incompatible with my activities as a ballet director in Munich," he wrote in the resignation letter.

However, allegations are rife that Zelensky was fired because of his refusal to publicly condemn Russia. According to Bavarian State Opera managing director Serge Dorne, he was told to leave. "We talked with him [Zelensky] several times, and I made him come to the conclusion that he should leave the opera. He did not make this decision on his own. We had a conversation with him, and I led him to this conclusion," Dorne inadvertently opened up to two pranksters, who posed as Ukrainian officials.

However, it is not clear where Zelensky, Tikhonova and their daughter are at this moment. Though Der Spiegel visited his listed address in Munich, they were met by his ex-wife and three daughters, who refused to talk to comment on the issue. Der Spiegel tried to call Zelensky, but he did not pick up the phone.