Commentary: Vladimir Putin -- to get the best women?

However a couple of weeks before stepping down from presidency on May 8, a new Vladimir Putin appeared in the media: a Putin who gets the best women in Russia- slim and slender, blondes and brunettes, gymnasts, ballerinas, and models. Alina Kabayeva (24), Svetlana Korkina (28) are just two of Putin’s possible lovers and have several things in common: both of them are former gymnasts, both of them appeared in Playboy- either covered in tiger fur or hiding behind some bunches of grapes- and both of them are on the first page of the tabloids under the headline “Putin’s girlfriend”.  Despite their young age, the girls successfully managed to become MPs representing Putin’s Party in Parliament. They now appear to be proud of their accomplishments and describe the atmosphere in Kremlin as “exciting.”

But Putin’s circle of girlfriends doesn’t include only flexible gymnasts, but also the former Miss Russia 2003, Victoria Lopireva, and the journalist Elena Tregubova (34) who accused Putin of sexual harassment and consequently fled to London, fearing that she might be killed.

At a press conference last week, Putin asserted that “there’s not a word of truth” in these articles that pervaded the media around Europe. But he did not mention what actually wasn’t true from what media had covered: him dating Alina, Svetlana, Victoria, and Elena, him having divorced his wife in February, or him getting remarried in May. As a consequence of the articles regarding Putin’s earlier unrevealed part, and due to the “freedom” of the press in Russia, the tabloid that first published the news about Putin, Moskovski Korrespondent, was suddenly closed on April 19.

Whether these rumors are true or not, they surely not only tarnished Putin’s reputation but might also have given hopes to women around the world who think they have a chance to “get” him. Youtube abounds in videos that show Putin as a sexy president, wearing black sunglasses or fishing topless on the rhythms of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” or Pussy Cat Dolls’ “Loosen up my buttons.”  At press conferences, women journalists address him questions regarding how they can give him Valentine’s cards, and tens of women queue for his autograph at NATO summits.

Yet what makes Vladimir Putin (56) attract the best women? Is it power that makes him sexy, is it money, or is it the image of a former KGB officer stepping out of a fancy black Mercedes?

Life has spoiled him so far, but life didn’t treat his wife very kindly.  Wrinkled and with extra weight, it is hard for Ludmilla Putina (50) to compete with Putin’s girlfriends and fans. Her fault is that she did not appear in Playboy magazines, nor did she hide behind bunches of grapes, but instead she got BAs in Geman, Spanish, and English, became a successful linguist, and at the same time raised two daughters who are close the age of Putin’s gymnasts.

Putin’s success will continue to flourish at all levels, both private and professional, since he will become Russia’s prime minister in May. He will still exert tremendous influence on Russia’s politics and hence the number of the female members of his “fan club” will not decrease significantly.

If the articles that appeared last week were based on untrue facts, as the president asserted, it is indeed a matter of calumny and lack of journalistic ethics that not only damaged his reputation, but might have also brought tension and hard times in his family. Yet several questions arise: how did these girls get into the Russian Duma at the age of 24 and 28 respectively and what experience do they have at this age that would allow them to take decisions for millions of Russians. And, moreover, by whose decision was the newspaper that first published the names of Putin’s girlfriends closed down?

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