Lyudmila Putina to Alina Kabaeva: Vladimir Putin’s mysterious love life 

Russian president’s relationship status has been a taboo subject in Russian media

Vladimir Putin and his now ex-wife Lyudmila Putina
Vladimir Putin and his now ex-wife Lyudmila Putina on the first day of the G8 summit in 2007
(Image credit: Dmitry Astakhov/AFP via Getty Images)

A former Russian gymnast rumoured to be Vladimir Putin’s girlfriend has been sanctioned by the US in a bid to punish the Kremlin for the war in Ukraine.

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Kate Samuelson is the newsletter editor, global. She is also a regular guest on award-winning podcast The Week Unwrapped, where she often brings stories with a women’s rights angle. Kate’s career as a journalist began on the MailOnline graduate training scheme, which involved stints as a reporter at the South West News Service’s office in Cambridge and the Liverpool Echo. She moved from MailOnline to Time magazine’s satellite office in London, where she covered current affairs and culture for both the print mag and website. Before joining The Week, Kate worked as the senior stories and content gathering specialist at the global women’s charity ActionAid UK, where she led the planning and delivery of all content gathering trips, from Bangladesh to Brazil. She is passionate about women’s rights and using her skills as a journalist to highlight underrepresented communities.

Alongside her staff roles, Kate has written for various magazines and newspapers including Stylist, Metro.co.uk, The Guardian and the i news site. She is also the founder and editor of Cheapskate London, an award-winning weekly newsletter that curates the best free events with the aim of making the capital more accessible.