More than two decades into his rule, President Vladimir Putin has reportedly built an extensive network of family influence across Russia’s political and economic elite. According to The Times UK, citing an investigative report by the banned Russian outlet Proekt, over 20 of Putin’s relatives — including cousins, children, and former romantic partners — have secured high-ranking positions in government ministries and state-linked corporations.
The report suggests that nepotism under Putin has reached levels unseen since the reign of Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar. Among those now holding influential posts is Anna Tsivilyova, the daughter of Putin’s late cousin Yevgeny Putin, who was appointed Deputy Defense Minister in 2024. Her husband, Sergei Tsivilyov, a former governor of the Kemerovo region, became Russia’s Energy Minister just weeks earlier. Ukrainian intelligence reportedly believes Tsivilyova’s appointment was strategic — a move designed to monitor corruption and loyalty within the Defense Ministry and report directly to Putin.
Tsivilyova’s family appears to have benefited as well. Her son from a previous marriage, Dmitry Loginov, manages firms linked to the Kolmar coal-mining company, while her brother, Mikhail Putin, holds an executive role at Gazprom, the state-controlled energy giant. Mikhail’s son, Denis Putin, just 28, is reportedly a shareholder in a major Moscow business complex frequented by state enterprises.
The Proekt report, highlighted by The Times UK, also names several other Putin relatives and allies. Igor Putin and Lyubov Kruglova, both cousins of the president, have been granted senior positions, while Kruglova’s son, Viktor Khmarin, now leads RusHydro, one of Russia’s largest electricity providers. The scale of familial appointments underscores how deeply intertwined the Putin clan has become with the machinery of the Russian state.
Putin’s adult daughters with his ex-wife Lyudmila are also stepping into public view. Maria Vorontsova, a medical researcher specializing in endocrinology, and Katerina Tikhonova, a technology executive heading the Innopraktika development initiative, both made high-profile appearances at last year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — a stage typically reserved for Russia’s most powerful figures. While Putin has never publicly acknowledged them as his children, their growing visibility signals a carefully managed emergence into the political and economic spotlight.
Beyond these acknowledged family members, the Russian leader is rumored to have fathered additional children. Reports suggest he has two sons with Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast and one-time member of parliament, and a daughter with Svetlana Krivonogikh, a former cleaner who ascended to wealth through ownership of a luxury ski resort and a stake in a Kremlin-linked bank.
Yet, according to The Times UK, even Putin’s family empire pales in comparison to that of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed Chechen leader notorious for his brutality and human rights abuses. Kadyrov has reportedly installed 96 relatives in state positions, including his 17-year-old son Adam, who astonishingly holds at least seven official posts and was recently appointed head of Chechnya’s security council.
The revelations from Proekt, as reported by The Times UK, paint a portrait of a Russia where personal loyalty and bloodline trump merit, and where the Kremlin’s reach extends not just through institutions — but through family.
