Putin Reportedly Has a Fourth Grandchild After Daughter Gives Birth
Russian media report that Katerina Tikhonova, Vladimir Putin's younger daughter, gave birth to a boy in August 2025, but the birth was only registered in July 2026.
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Vladimir Putin has reportedly become a grandfather for the fourth time, after his younger daughter Katerina Tikhonova gave birth to a baby boy in Moscow on 15 August 2025, according to documents obtained by the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo.
The child's father is believed to be Igor Zelensky, a choreographer who has been in a relationship with Tikhonova, but the boy was registered under his mother's surname, Tihonov, rather than Zelensky. The birth certificate was only issued on 10 July 2026, almost a year after the birth, by a civil registry office in Moscow's Chertanovo district. The reason for the delay is not officially known.
Tikhonova was previously married to businessman Kirill Shamalov; they divorced in 2018. She and Zelensky are also reported to have a daughter, Elza, born in 2017. Putin keeps his family life private, rarely commenting on his children or grandchildren. He has two known grandchildren from his elder daughter, Maria Vorontsova.
Agentstvo and Meduza, which first reported the story, suggest the delay may have been an attempt to keep the birth private or due to complications from the parents having different surnames. Neither the Kremlin nor Tikhonova has commented publicly.
