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An investigation by Proekt says leaked Russian border data show Alina Kabaeva flew to Kazakhstan in February 2017, where Vladimir Putin had arrived ahead of an official visit. The records place them in the country at the same time, but do not establish that they traveled or met together.
An investigation by Russian outlet Proekt says leaked Federal Border Service data show Alina Kabaeva flew to Kazakhstan in February 2017, during a period when President Vladimir Putin was also in the country. The records place them there at the same time, but do not establish that they traveled or met together; Kabaeva’s presence was not officially reported.
Proekt says its journalists examined leaked data from Russia’s Federal Border Service. According to the outlet, Kabaeva flew to Almaty on February 23 aboard a private Embraer Legacy 650 and returned to Russia on February 27. Putin’s official visit began on February 27, but he had arrived in Kazakhstan several days earlier.
State media reports described an informal meeting between Putin and Kazakhstan’s then-president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, at the Shymbulak ski resort, corroborating Putin’s early arrival. The reporting does not say those accounts identified Kabaeva as being with Putin. Proekt describes her as Putin’s reported longtime partner and the mother of his sons; her presence on the trip was not made public at the time.
The aircraft listed in the investigation, registration D-AHOI, was operated by Air Hamburg, which later became part of VistaJet. Proekt estimates the flight would have cost about $26,000. The outlet also says the jet was used over the years by family members of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev. That information does not establish who paid for Kabaeva’s flight.
A Rarely Documented Overseas Trip
Proekt calls the Kazakhstan journey the only documented instance it found of Kabaeva being abroad during one of Putin’s official visits. The outlet says her presence meant she was “effectively serving as first lady.” That is Proekt’s characterization of the trip, rather than an official role or a confirmed account of what she did there.
The records matter because they offer a specific, dated account of Kabaeva’s travel that had not been officially reported. They also provide a basis for examining the overlap between her movements and Putin’s public schedule. The evidence described by Proekt, however, establishes timing and travel details; it does not by itself show that the two were together in Kazakhstan or explain the purpose of Kabaeva’s visit.
The Uzbekistan Records Have Gaps
Proekt also points to a possible overlap during Putin’s visit to Uzbekistan for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in June 2016. Putin arrived on June 23, and Kabaeva returned to Moscow on June 30 on a scheduled Aeroflot flight, the outlet says. The leaked border data contain no record of her departure from Russia for that trip.
Proekt says the missing departure record could reflect an error, or that Kabaeva traveled from Russia to Uzbekistan on a government aircraft. Those are possible explanations offered by the investigation, not verified accounts of her route. The Uzbekistan material therefore differs from the Kazakhstan records, which include the reported dates of Kabaeva’s outbound and return flights.
““effectively serving as first lady””
— Proekt
What the Flight Records Cannot Show
The investigation’s account relies on leaked border data, and the material provided does not include an official confirmation of Kabaeva’s trip. It remains unclear whether she met Putin, traveled with him, or joined any part of his schedule. Their presence in Kazakhstan during overlapping dates does not answer those questions.
The reporting also leaves open who arranged or paid for the private flight and why Kabaeva traveled to Almaty. The estimated $26,000 cost comes from Proekt; the source material does not identify a payer. For the Uzbekistan episode, the absent departure entry means the records do not confirm how she reached the country, or whether the apparent overlap was connected to Putin’s visit.
Further Records Could Clarify Travel
The next developments would depend on whether additional travel records, flight documentation or statements from people involved become available. Such material could clarify the purpose and arrangements of the Kazakhstan flight, and whether Kabaeva and Putin had any shared itinerary. The source material does not announce an official inquiry or a response from the people named in the investigation.
Until further documentation emerges, Proekt’s account supports a limited conclusion: its examination of leaked data places Kabaeva in Kazakhstan from February 23 to 27, 2017, while Putin was there ahead of his announced official visit. The records described in the report do not establish more than that overlap.
Key Questions
What did Proekt find?
Proekt says leaked Russian border data show Alina Kabaeva flew to Almaty on February 23, 2017, and returned to Russia on February 27, during a period when Putin was in Kazakhstan.
Do the records show that Kabaeva traveled with Putin?
No. The reported records place both in Kazakhstan during overlapping dates, but do not establish that they traveled or met together.
What is known about the aircraft?
Proekt identifies it as an Embraer Legacy 650, registration D-AHOI, operated by Air Hamburg, which later became part of VistaJet. The outlet estimates the flight would have cost about $26,000; the payer is not identified in the source material.
What does the investigation say about Uzbekistan?
Proekt notes that Putin visited Uzbekistan in June 2016 and Kabaeva returned to Moscow on June 30. The leaked data have no record of her departure from Russia, leaving her route there unconfirmed.
Source: rss
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