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00:00Vladimir Putin is a controversial figure, but one woman loved him, for a while at least.
00:06Here's what we know about the woman who spent decades with the Russian president
00:10before they split for good. While Vladimir Putin has kept his personal life quiet,
00:15much of his political work is public. The current Russian president and one of the
00:19most feared political figures in the world, the imposing politician has served in just
00:24about every governmental office the country has. He was an intelligence officer before
00:28becoming acting president in 1999. He was president until 2008, then served as prime minister for four
00:36years, before taking presidential office again in 2012. Putin has remained in office since.
00:42As Russia invades Ukraine, Putin does not have much support, domestically or abroad.
00:48Many Russians are protesting the impending war, and President Joe Biden has made statements in
00:53opposition of the invasion, while former President Donald Trump continues to support Putin.
00:58Public figures like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and celebrities from Gigi Hadid to Annalyn
01:04McCord have voiced their support for Ukraine in the conflict. While Putin is often in the news,
01:09he does not like to answer personal questions. Still, we do know a few things about the woman who was
01:15once married to the Russian president. It is a matter of public record that Putin was married to a
01:20woman named Lyudmila Asharetnaya for nearly 30 years. The pair met in St. Petersburg through a mutual
01:26friend in the 80s and had been together for decades before splitting up. Indeed, the couple announced
01:31their divorce in 2013, citing that they grew apart. Asharetnaya shared,
01:36"...our marriage is over due to the fact that we barely see each other. Vladimir Vladimirovich is
01:41completely submerged in his work. Our children have grown up, each of them is living her own life,
01:46and I truly don't like publicity." Asharetnaya was never afraid to hide the fact that she disliked
01:52being the first lady of Russia and looked forward to having a quiet life when her divorce was finalized.
01:57"...and after years of speculation, Russia's president and his wife finally announced last
02:01night they're getting a divorce."
02:03But not much else is known about her, since, as The Independent reports, some journalists who share
02:08details of Putin's personal life are fired from their jobs. While it's hard to find too much
02:13information about the time the couple shared, a 2002 biography of the Russian president revealed
02:19sad details about his wife's life while married to him. As Express reports, she gave birth alone,
02:25without Putin by her side as he was out of town, and was not even allowed to choose her new daughter's
02:30name. She said she had to name the child after Putin's mother, saying,
02:33"...I was in tears. But then I realized there was no choice in the matter and my daughter was going to be
02:38Maria." The mom of two also confided that she was humiliated by Putin always being late for
02:44engagements, saying,
02:45"...after an hour I would nearly cry out of humiliation." Asharetnaya further said that her
02:50husband cheated on her repeatedly while they were together. So it should come as no surprise that
02:55the former Mrs. Putin was relieved to separate from him and attempt to move on with her life.
03:00While she has kept a low profile since divorcing one of the most controversial politicians in the world,
03:05one thing is clear. Asharetnaya has moved on from being Putin's ex-wife. In fact,
03:11the former Mrs. Putin was reportedly desperate to separate herself from the father of her children,
03:16and, as CNN reports, was once believed to have joined an orthodox convent in an attempt to no
03:21longer be associated with the Russian leader. It's unclear if the convent was ever home to Asharetnaya,
03:27but she is now married to a Russian businessman who is over 20 years her junior. He works as the
03:33director of a non-profit organization. They recently purchased a villa in France for $7.46 million,
03:40and it's here that they live life together outside of the spotlight. Meanwhile, it's unclear if she
03:45has a job, but we do know Asharetnaya was previously an Aeroflot stewardess.
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