Putin Says His ‘Young Family Members’ Speak Chinese

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Monday that his “young family members” are fluent Mandarin Chinese speakers.

“Some of my family members, the little ones, speak Chinese too—they speak it fluently,” Putin told students at a secondary school in Kyzyl, the capital of the Republic of Tuva, about 2,800 miles east of Moscow. The school offers instruction in both Russian and Tuvan languages, according to the Kremlin.

The 71-year-old leader has two daughters—Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova—with his first wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva, whom he divorced in 2014. Both of his daughters speak Russian, English, German, and French, and he has at least three grandchildren, Russian media reported. It is rare for the Kremlin’s leader to discuss his personal life publicly.

Putin is also reportedly the father of two boys that Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast and his rumored mistress, gave birth to in 2015 and 2019, according to media in Switzerland. Neither the young children nor the relationship with Kabaeva have been confirmed by Putin and the Kremlin.

“Russia’s First Mistress” and the “Secret First Lady” rarely makes public appearances, but in April 2022, she was pictured in public for the first time since the Russia-Ukraine war began two months prior. Kabaeva attended a rehearsal of a junior rhythmic gymnastics festival in Moscow.

Putin did not specify which of his family members speak Mandarin Chinese, the world’s second most widely spoken language with 1.1 billion speakers. He mentioned the importance of learning this language from a Russian economic perspective amid growing ties with its quasi-ally China.

“Now we have a growing interest in the Chinese language. Why? Because there are a lot of contacts! Business is developing, a lot of partners are appearing between Russia and China. We already have a trade turnover of $230 billion, and the volume is increasing,” he said to students.

During his state visit to China in May, the Russian leader said the country is “actively expanding” its Chinese language instruction network. “Currently, about 90,000 people are studying Chinese at schools and universities,” he said, while more than 80,000 people are studying Russian in China.

“As cooperation between our countries expands, businesses and various fields of activity require professionals with essential knowledge and fluency in corresponding languages,” he added.

Russia and China declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Western nations, led by the United States and the European Union, have imposed sanctions on Russia’s economy to target its war machine.

China’s netizens largely reacted with indifference at the Russian president’s remarks. One claimed “we just want to maintain close ties with civilized countries” amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Another said this was just an eye-catching act by Putin, attempting to win more hearts and minds in China.

Meanwhile, Putin reminded students in Kyzyl they should learn English, the most spoken language in the world with 1.5 billion speakers that he himself is well-spoken in. He said this “great language” has “given humanity a great deal” in “combining knowledge and uniting people in the field of culture.”