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Vladmir Putin, 66, admits he will 'soon' marry his 35-year-old 'longtime girlfriend'

Vladimir Putin divorced his wife of 30 years, with whom he had two daughters, in 2013 and has ever since been linked with Alina Kabaeva who is nearly 30 years his junior

During an annual televised press conference that ran for almost four hours, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday was asked by journalist Alexander Yunashev from the tabloid LifeNews when he is getting married and with whom. In response, the Russian strongman subtly smiled and admitted that he intends to wed again in the future. "As a respectable person, I will have to do it sooner or later," Putin said.

LifeNews is allegedly controlled by Olympic gold medal-winning rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 35, who is rumored to be the Russian president's "longtime girlfriend". It is also being alleged that Kabaeva is growing desperate to know when they will tie the knot.

Kabaeva has been linked with the Russian leader for more than a decade, and is now the head of a major Moscow media company. Furthermore, speculation is rife that the elite pair already has a secret family — although such claims have been denied by the Kremlin outright, Daily Mail reports.

While Putin did not give away much at the press conference, many considered the question as either pressure from Kabaeva or the commencement of a PR campaign in Kremlin to reveal the identity of Russia's first lady.