Putin’s Reported Granddaughter Named Tikhonova, Despite Father’s Surname Zelensky

Investigative journalists have identified Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reported granddaughter as Elsa Igorevna Tikhonova based on leaked Russian border control records.The eight-year-old girl, born in December 2017, is reportedly the daughter of Katerina Tikhonova – Putin’s younger publicly known daughter – and Russian ballet dancer and director Igor Zelensky.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Russian independent outlet Agentstvo reported on Friday, Sept. 25, that journalists from the investigative outlet Proekt discovered the child’s name while analyzing a leaked database belonging to Russia’s Federal Border Service.The records reportedly list her as Elsa Igorevna Tikhonova. The girl thus carries the surname used by her mother rather than Zelenskaya, the feminine form of her father’s surname.Her patronymic, Igorevna, corresponds to her reported father, Igor Zelensky.Tikhonova herself was born Katerina Putina but has long used a different surname. Putin has never publicly confirmed her identity as his daughter, although investigations by major international media and sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western governments identify her as such.Trips to Germany, CroatiaAccording to the leaked records, Elsa first traveled outside Russia on Nov. 11, 2019, shortly before her second birthday.She reportedly flew with both parents aboard a business jet operated by German airliner Air Hamburg, now part of VistaJet. The family spent exactly two months in Munich, where the father, Igor Zelensky, was serving as artistic director of the Bavarian State Ballet. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine’s Troops Helped Push Putin’s ‘Anchorage’ Demands Off Peace Talks Agenda, Zelensky Says Zelensky says Russia’s limited and costly battlefield gains have strengthened Kyiv’s position against demands involving territory and neutrality. Less than two years later, the girl reportedly traveled to Croatia aboard a Bombardier Global 5000 private jet. Border records from both journeys allegedly identified her as Elsa Igorevna Tikhonova.Proekt is expected to publish a broader investigation titled “Fellow Travelers,” examining how senior Russian officials and members of the country’s elite travel, with whom and aboard which aircraft.The leaked database has not been independently authenticated, and neither the Kremlin nor the family has publicly commented on the latest findings.Earlier investigation concealed the child’s nameThe existence of Tikhonova and Igor Zelensky’s daughter was first reported in a 2022 joint investigation by Important Stories and Der Spiegel.Those journalists said they had obtained the child’s passport, travel documents and the passenger list from a charter flight connecting Munich and Moscow. The records showed that the family, their two nannies, a piano teacher and members of Russia’s presidential security service traveled together.The investigation did not disclose the child’s name for ethical reasons but reported that she was born in 2017 and carried the patronymic Igorevna.It also found that Tikhonova had traveled to Munich more than 50 times between 2017 and 2019 while her husband headed the Bavarian State Ballet. One document obtained by the journalists indicated that she was preparing to move to Germany in late 2019.Her husband left the Bavarian State Ballet shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The opera’s management later indicated that he had been pressured to leave after declining to publicly condemn the invasion.Putin has repeatedly withheld details about his children and grandchildren, citing security and privacy concerns. The Kremlin generally refuses to discuss investigations concerning the Russian president’s family. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.