Spokesman denies Putin’s 'girlfriend has given birth' rumour

Russia's President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied rumours that the 62-year-old leader is welcoming the birth of a child with his gymnast girlfriend amid the president's disappearance for the last 8 days.

"Information about the birth of a baby fathered by Vladimir Putin does not correspond to reality," Peskov told Forbes Russia.

"I plan to ask some wealthy people to organise a contest for the media's best whopper of a tale," he added while referring to media speculation about the purported birth.

Swiss tabloid Blick reported earlier Friday that Alina Kabayeva, a former Olympic gymnast-turned-parliamentarian, was rumoured to have recently checked in at a private maternity hospital in the Swiss canton of Ticino.

Alina Kabaeva performs with the ball during the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Madrid October 20, 2001. PHOTO: REUTERS

Speculation about Putin's whereabouts began swirling this week after the president cancelled an official trip and was not seen at a public event for several days. Peskov denied media reports that the president was ill.

Read: 'Where is Putin?' Russians ask, as leader drops off radar for a week



Putin fishes in the headwaters of the Khemchik River in the Tuva region of Siberia. PHOTO COURTESY: THE TELEGRAPH

Putin has been thought to be dating Kabayeva for years.



Alina Kabaeva. PHOTO COURTESY: CAMERA PRESS

He announced divorcing his wife in 2013. The following year, during his annual marathon press conference, he said he loved someone and that someone loved him in return.

Read: Putin accuses Ukraine army of being 'NATO foreign legion'



Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ex-wife Lyudmila Putina. PHOTO COURTESY: THE TELEPGRAPH

In 2013, the president’s spokesman had denied Putin having secretly wed Kabayeva at a 17th-century monastery.

The article originally appeared in The Moscow Times.