Putin's Grandson Denied Zelensky Surname Due to Shared Name with Ukrainian Leader
Leaked registry documents reveal that Russian President Vladimir Putin's infant grandson was given his mother's surname to avoid sharing the exact name of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Leaked Russian registry documents reveal that the 11-month-old grandson of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been denied his father's surname because it is identical to that of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The infant, named Adrian, was born to Katerina Tikhonova, Putin's 40-year-old tech executive daughter, and Igor Zelensky, a 57-year-old ballet dancer and choreographer. While the father has no known familial ties to the Ukrainian leader, sharing the surname reportedly caused unease within the Kremlin, prompting the child to be registered under the surname Tikhonov instead.
Background on the Parents and Older Sister
Igor Zelensky previously served as the director of the Bavarian State Ballet in Germany until his resignation in April 2022, roughly two months after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. Before the war, the couple traveled extensively between Munich and Moscow under heavy security.
Adrian is the couple's second child. Their eldest daughter, Elsa, born in 2017, originally bore her father's surname as is customary in Russia for unmarried parents. However, following the onset of the war, her surname was also changed to Tikhonov. Tikhonova, a former acrobatic rock-and-roll dancer, currently manages major artificial intelligence developments in Russia and plays a role in navigating economic sanctions.
Broader Family Dynamics and Security Protocols
President Putin maintains strict secrecy regarding his family, and none of his children carry his surname. His eldest daughter, Dr. Maria Vorontsova, is an endocrinologist and heads a medical research institute in Moscow.
Putin also has two sons with his partner Alina Kabaeva—Ivan, 11, and Vladimir, 8—who reportedly use the surname Spiridonov, a nod to the Russian leader's paternal grandfather who served as a chef to Soviet leaders Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Additionally, Putin has a 23-year-old daughter, Luiza Rozova, from a previous relationship, who currently resides in Paris.
