After nearly 30 years of marriage, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife have announced that they are divorcing.
“It was our joint decision, our marriage is over,” the political leader said in an interview with Russia24.
Vladimir Putin, 60, and Ludmila Putina, 55, were married in 1983 and have two daughters, Maria and Yekaterina.
In the televised announcement of their split, the two seemed reserved and civil.
“I do not like publicity, and the flights are complicated for me. We love our children, we are proud of them and see each other often,” said Ludmila.
Her husband added, “We practically never saw each other. To each his own life.”
Rumors about the couple’s marital strife circulated back in 2008, when Putin was reportedly considering a divorce in order to marry a gold-medal winning gymnast.
But despite the news of the divorce, Ludmila insisted that she and the president “will always be friends.”
