Elizaveta Krivonogikh, who is widely rumored to be Russian President Vladimir Putin's secret daughter, has made headlines with a mysterious social media post that alluded to personal tragedy and bereavement.
While she did not explicitly mention anyone, her statements have fueled speculation that she was alluding to the Kremlin leader.
The 22-year-old allegedly posted on Telegram: "It's nice to be able to show my face to the world once more. It reminds me of who I am and who destroyed my life." Bild, a German newspaper, obtained a string of such posts, one in which she blamed an unnamed person for having "destroyed" her and "taken millions of lives."
Krivonogikh, previously flaunting a lavish lifestyle on the web—posting photos of private jets and VIP parties—disappeared from social media while tensions between Russia and Ukraine grew in 2022.
Born in 2003 in St. Petersburg, Krivonogikh is thought to be Putin's daughter and Svetlana Krivonogikh, a one-time cleaning lady who became a millionaire. In 2020, Russian investigative news site Proekt printed a story saying that Svetlana owed her substantial fortune to a romantic relationship with Putin. The site identified her daughter as "Luiza Rozova" and said that there was a striking physical resemblance between her and the Russian leader.
Though Luiza—or Elizaveta—has largely stayed below the radar since the start of the Ukraine war, she has made appearances here and there in the media. Back in the spring, Russian painter Nastya Rodionova said that Krivonogikh was employed as a manager in two Parisian art galleries with reputations for showcasing anti-war artwork.
Though speculation has been building for years, the Kremlin has always denied any involvement, calling such stories "unfounded and unconvincing.
Her patronymic surname "Vladimirovna" also adds to the intrigue, implying a paternal connection to one Vladimir—most likely Putin. Moreover, her assumed name "Rudnova" looks like it is for Oleg Rudnov, a close Putin ally who passed away in 2015. Her birth certificate, as reported by The New York Post, leaves out the name of her father entirely.
During a 2021 audio interview, Rozova sidestepped the direct comparisons to Putin, saying only: "Many people have similar features." She said her life was lived within a "bubble," where she avoided politics and instead concentrated on fashion and spending time with friends.
Proekt's 2020 expose linked Svetlana Krivonogikh to a chain of properties reportedly bought in her name by Rudnov, fuelling speculations of Kremlin connections. More scrutiny ensued in 2023, when the government of the United Kingdom sanctioned Svetlana, accusing her of being "a shareholder in Bank Rossiya and the National Media Group, that consistently promotes the Russian assault in Ukraine.
