Vladimir Putin, wife announce divorce on state television

Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila?made the statement on state television after attending a ballet performance at the Kremlin.

By Jim Heintz,?Associated Press / June 6, 2013

Then Russian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila leave a polling station in Moscow, Russia in 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila have announced they are divorcing. Married just a few weeks short of 30 years, the Putins announced the decision on state television after attending a ballet performance Thursday evening in the Kremlin.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/File

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Russian President Vladimir?Putin?and his wife Lyudmila announced Thursday they aredivorcing?after nearly 30 years of marriage.

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The?Putins?made the statement on state television after attending a ballet performance at the Kremlin.

"It was our joint decision,"?Putin?said.

Lyudmila?Putin?was rarely seen in public during her husband's long tenure at the top of Russian politics and implied that she didn't like to travel with him on his frequent trips.

"I don't like publicity and flying is difficult for me," she said.

The?Putins?married on July 28, 1983, and have two daughters, Maria and Yekaterina. In the televised announcement of their?divorce,?Putin?appeared reserved and Lyudmila smiled tentatively.

"We practically never saw each other. To each his own life,"?Putin?said.

Lyudmila?Putin?said, "We will eternally be very close people. I'm thankful ... that he supports me."

There were no immediate indications of how the move would be perceived by the public.?Divorce?is common in Russia, and nearly 700,000 pairs dissolved their marriages in 2009, according to UNICEF.

Russian leaders, unlike their counterparts in the West, generally keep their personal lives well out of public view. Mikhail Gorbachev's wife Raisa raised many Russians' hackles by her visibility, flair for fashionable dress and forthright comments.

But?Putin?also has made a point of supporting traditional social values and appearing at holiday masses of the Orthodox Church. The church permits?divorce?under some circumstances; it is not clear if the?Putins?sought pastoral advice or permission before the split.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/IxfQ1LJ6388/Vladimir-Putin-wife-announce-divorce-on-state-television

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