Vladimir Putin and wife Lyudmila calling it quits

It looks like someone has concentrated too much of their time and effort amassing forces on Ukraine’s border for an “incursion” into the country and too little time on their marriage. According to BBC News Europe, the Kremlin has confirmed Russian President Vladimir Putin has finalized his divorce with his wife of 30 years, Lyudmila.

The couple, who are considered the most famous couple in the country, announced their breakup on television in June of last year. Mr. Putin, 61, however, was still officially listed as “married” last week, but now the divorce is final. The couple has two daughters who are currently in their late 20s.

Kremlin makes official divorce confirmation

Those close to the couple acknowledge much of the publicity for the impending divorce was managed by the Kremlin to keep the impact on the Russian public as controlled as possible. Vladimir Putin has also no doubt been focused on other issues such as the annexing of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

Interestingly, although the story of the divorce was publicized on the state-owned news agency Itar-Tass on Tuesday, other media outlets were hesitant to carry the story with several not mentioning it at all. Apparently, personal stories about Vladimir Putin and his wife have commonly been handled in this manner. For instance, in June, when the couple separated, there was limited information given to the Russian people.

Like Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin who have publicized they plan on a “conscious uncoupling” which will help to ensure a smooth and less emotional damaging break up for all parties involved, Vladimir Putin and his wife have voiced their intentions of having what they call a civilized divorce and have decided they will remain close.

The couple, who had not been seen in public together for many months, was attending a ballet last week and gave a rare televised statement about their intentions. Critics of the story suggested, however, the story was “reality laundering” and didn’t get much play on national television.

Why are Vladimir Putin and his wife divorcing?

Although it’s unlikely we will ever know the full story about the Putin’s divorce, according to Mr. Putin in a televised interview last year, he stated, “It was a joint decision: we hardly see each other, each of us has our own life.”

His wife also suggested she has a strong disdain for the publicity involved with his work and her husband has been drowned in work over the last several years. Others have suggested that Mr. Putin may have been involved with former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva and he might have plans to marry her sometime in the future. This rumor was revived recently during the Olympics when Ms Kabayeva was among the final six torchbearers at the opening of Mr Putin’s showpiece Sochi Winter Olympics.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed for Russian media on Wednesday that the divorce had been completed.