Putin’s Daughter Broke the Taboo by Appearing Publicly on Television

For nearly 20 years it was a taboo in the Russian news media to report about the personal life of President Vladimir Putin. The taboo is now broken by an interview of a woman, who is described as the daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is broadcasted on State Television.

Experts believe that the interview is arranged in order to portray a soft image of Vladimir Putin, thereby increasing the prospect of his two adult daughters to easily adapt public life. Russia doesn’t have the tradition of a public first family. President Putin, who was a former spy, has mostly kept his daughters out of sight of the public view.

Though he occasionally has spoken about his affection for his daughters. Last year he also announced that he has become a grandfather. But throughout his tenure as President, Putin has ensured that his family life remains private.

The interview aired recently by the state television was that of a woman named Yekaterina Tikhonova, whom Russian and Western news media has claimed to be the President Putin’s younger daughter, though Putin has never publicly acknowledged her as such. Putin’s eldest daughter Yekaterina V Putina was born in Germany, where he was posted as a spy at the age of 32 years.

On the Television show, Tikhonova was asked about her work as the director of a scientific institute. The science show, which profiles a group of scientists who are developing devices that can read brainwaves. The research regarded as groundbreaking and vital for technology, also suggests an emerging role for Tikhonova as the champion of Russian science.

Experts also believe that Tikhonova's appearance on state television also suggests a potential public role for the Presidential family. Nina Khrushchev, granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and a Professor based in New York says, “Stalin kept his family cloistered from public view, but in 1959 Khrushchev toured US with his family”.

In the 1990’s President Boris Yeltsin’s daughter was a public figure but Putin reversed the course. Now, this shift of Putin is seen because of the amid sagging ratings in the polls for Putin. Khrushchev says, “This is a way to show the family is involved in building Russia, and it’s not just Putin sitting in the Kremlin”.

Though there is no official confirmation from Kremlin over Tikhonova television interview. But in 2017 though Vladimir Putin has expressed his desire to see his grandkids, “live like ordinary people, out of the public eye”.