New name and unfinished degree: what "Putin's illegitimate daughter" has been doing recently
Yelizaveta Krivonogikh, also known as Luiza Rozova, the alleged illegitimate daughter of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, withdrew from the public eye after the start of the full-scale war, shutting down her social media accounts. Her connection to Putin first came to light in 2020.
Source: Ukrainian news programme TSN’s investigation on Krivonogikh, which revealed details about her recent activities, her last known surname, and ties to Putin.
Since around the summer of 2021, Svetlana Krivonogikh’s daughter – allegedly connected to Vladimir Putin through a long-standing relationship from the 1990s – has officially been known as Yelizaveta Olegovna Rudnova. Both her surname and patronymic were changed; her birth certificate originally listed her as "Vladimirovna".
Oleg Rudnov, after whom she is now named, was reportedly a close confidant of Putin. He was said to be so trusted that properties were purchased in his name for Putin’s alleged mistress, gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Rudnov, who served as director of TV Channel 5 in St. Petersburg, died in 2015.
Journalists found a reference to Yelizaveta Olegovna Rudnova, born on 3 March 2003 – matching the birthdate of Yelizaveta Vladimirovna Krivonogikh – in the hacked Russian network Sirena Travel, which contains flight information. In 2021, Rudnova had purchased a plane ticket through this network.
Investigators also uncovered details about where Luiza (Rudnova) studied. A few years ago, while still leading a relatively public life and even DJing in Moscow, she had mentioned the name of her university faculty during a conversation with a journalist on the social media platform Clubhouse.
"I am studying at the faculty of management in art and culture," Luiza had stated back then.
It turned out that she was referring to ICART Paris, a private university in the French capital that is focused on management for the arts and culture.
Investigators found a letter confirming this, sent by the school’s administration to Svetlana Krivonogikh. The letter provided details about the years and hours Yelizaveta Rudnova, originally from St. Petersburg, spent studying there. She began in 2020 but completed only three courses over the course of four years.
Interestingly, Yelizaveta did not complete the required academic hours during the 2022-2023 academic year, likely because she was forced to return home after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
One of the professors at her university recognised Rudnova from a photograph but declined to provide further comments. She confirmed that she had been in the same class as the student, and another classmate also acknowledged her.
"She was nice... I don't know, we weren't close friends, so I don't know about her progress," the professor said, confirming when asked if she knew who Luiza's father was.
In a private conversation, the head of the institution explained to journalists that student information was confidential and confirmed that the student was no longer enrolled.
It’s also noteworthy that Yelizaveta (Luiza) stopped updating her Instagram several months before the invasion began. There were rumours suggesting that Putin may have pressured her into this, with reports claiming he had hidden his family in a Siberian bunker.
Recently, reports have surfaced regarding the younger children of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, including sons by Alina Kabaeva.
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