Two women gave lengthy speeches at Vladimir Putin’s top economic forum, dubbed “Russia’s Davos” and held annually in the president’s hometown of St. Petersburg. Their identities were an open secret, but no one dared to mention them: they were Putin’s adult daughters.
The eldest daughter, Maria Vorontsova (39), a scientist specializing in genetic research, chaired a panel on “Bioeconomics” at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
That same day, Katerina Tikhonova, a 37-year-old tech executive and acrobatic rock and roll dancer, boasted about the role of the defense industry in ensuring Russia’s technological sovereignty.
Putin divorced former Aeroflot flight attendant Lyudmila Putina in 2013, but the identities of his daughters have never been confirmed by the Kremlin and no photographs of them as adults have been publicly released. Despite their growing influence and the fact that he has faced Western sanctions, Putin has never publicly acknowledged them as his own; when questioned by reporters, he would simply refer to them as “these women.”
Their names were also conspicuously absent from Putin’s detailed family tree, shown at SPIEF 2024. Set up on a stand where visitors could have their photos taken next to them, the exhibit traced the president’s lineage back to the turbulent times of the 17th century and revealed his humble origins as a peasant family.
But the rising profile of the two women points to a broader trend: The children of Putin and his allies are increasingly taking up positions in business and government, suggesting that their aging parents are seeking to ensure a steady transition of power and influence.
Ksenia Shoigu, daughter of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is now secretary of the Security Council, chaired a panel on the Russian Triathlon Federation, of which she is president.
Ice hockey executive Roman Rotenberg, whose father Boris Rotenberg was one of Putin’s childhood judo partners, also spoke, ironically speaking out against “nepotism in sports”.
Yevgeny Minchenko, a political scientist close to the Kremlin, described this process as the “rise of the princess” in a recent report called “Politburo 2.0,” reminiscent of the Soviet political system.
“The children of representatives of the political elite have achieved a long-awaited career advancement,” he wrote.
This year’s forum was very different from the one held before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, when multinational and Russian companies competed for expensive partnerships and hosted lavish parties featuring pop stars such as Sting to demonstrate their commitment to the Russian market.
SPIEF speakers in the past have included world leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Russia hosted delegations from South America, Africa, India and China, replacing the Western delegations. This year’s guests of honor were Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Bolivian President Luis Arce.
A delegation from the Taliban also attended, despite the organisation being officially banned in Russia.
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Discussions of greater cooperation with the West were gone, replaced by speeches by far-right activists, including philosopher Alexander Dugin, an ardent advocate of total war. Other officials called for the elimination of the “LGBT movement.”
At the conference, T-shirts bearing a combative phrase purportedly from Putin were on sale: “If a fight is unavoidable, punch first,” read, a reference to a saying Putin reportedly learned while growing up on the streets of Leningrad.
In a sign of the times, hawkish Russian political scientist Sergei Karaganov recently wrote: Advocated a preemptive nuclear attackwas chosen to host the closing ceremony, traditionally presided over by President Putin.
Still, some participants said the mood at the summit was one of optimism, buoyed by a positive economic outlook, despite the stigma of being one of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries. The Russian economy is predicted to grow According to the International Monetary Fund, China’s economy is growing faster than any other developed country, highlighting the country’s remarkable resilience and calling into question the effectiveness of sanctions policies.
Russia’s oil and gas revenues almost doubled to 11 billion pounds in April compared with the same month last year due to rising prices, highlighting the difficulties faced by Western countries trying to limit the Kremlin’s income and rein in its military power.
“There is definitely a sense of optimism about this year compared to 2023,” said an executive at a state-run financial institution attending SPIEF for the third time. “There is a sense of pride in having won the economic war with the West.”
A visibly confident Putin addressed the plenary session on Friday, promising his audience victory in Ukraine and touting the country’s economic growth.
“Despite all obstacles and unjust sanctions, Russia remains one of the main participants in world trade,” he said.
