Katerina Tikhonova

Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova
Born	(1986-08-31) August 31, 1986 Dresden, East Germany
Occupation(s)	Scientist, executive, former acrobatic dancer
Known for	Head of Innopraktika; deputy director at Moscow State University's Institute for Mathematical Research of Complex Systems

Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova (, Putina, Путина; born 31 August 1986) is recognized as a Russian scientist, executive, and former acrobatic dancer. She is the second daughter of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.

Tikhonova currently heads Innopraktika, an enterprise that merges two Moscow State University projects: the National Intellectual Development Foundation (NIDF) and the National Intellectual Reserve Centre (NIRC). Additionally, she holds the position of deputy director at Moscow State University's Institute for Mathematical Research of Complex Systems.

Early life

Born in Dresden, East Germany, Tikhonova is the younger child of Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila Putina (née Shkrebneva). In 1991, her family relocated to Leningrad—now known as Saint Petersburg. She attended the Peterschule, a German Gymnasium located in Saint Petersburg. During the violent conflicts involving the Tambov Gang over control of Saint Petersburg's energy sector, she and her sister Maria were sent abroad to Germany for protection. They were placed under the care of Matthias Warnig, a former Stasi officer who had collaborated with their father in Dresden and was instrumental in founding Dresdner Bank’s branch in Saint Petersburg. Upon moving to Moscow, Tikhonova enrolled at the German School Moscow. She chose to drop her father's surname and instead adopted her maternal grandmother’s patronymic, becoming Yekaterina Tikhonovna Shkrebneva.

Studies and career

Tikhonova commenced her higher education in July 2005 at Saint Petersburg State University, where rector Lyudmila Verbitskaya maintained a close relationship with her father. With an interest in East Asian studies, she majored in Japanese history under the guidance of dean Yevgeny Zelenev and completed her degree in June 2009. Subsequently, she graduated from Moscow State University with a focus on Japan.

She directs Innopraktika, a science center development initiative at Moscow State University valued at $1.7 billion, which aims to serve as an innovation hub positioned against the Skolkovo Innovation Center. In February 2020, she was appointed to lead a newly established artificial intelligence institute within Moscow State University.

In May 2019, Tikhonova successfully defended her dissertation in physics and mathematics entitled "Mathematical problems of correcting the activity of vestibular mechanoreceptors," under the supervision of Viktor Sadovnichiy, rector of Moscow State University. Her academic output includes joint publications with established scientists; nevertheless, independent verification regarding the authenticity of her academic credentials has yet to be confirmed.

By December 2019, she had joined the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Mass Sports under the Russian Government. In July 2022, she assumed the role of co-chair for the import substitution coordination council of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, highlighting her expanding involvement in key economic strategies amid international sanctions.

Acrobatic dancing

During the mid-2010s, Tikhonova participated actively in acrobatic rock'n'roll, a specialized non-Olympic discipline with approximately two hundred participants worldwide. Alongside her partner Ivan Klimov, she secured fifth place at the 2013 World Championship held in Switzerland and achieved second place at Russia's national championship in 2014. She also held the position of Vice President for Expansion & Marketing within the World Rock'n'Roll Confederation. Between 2016 and 2019, a facility dedicated to acrobatic rock and roll was constructed at her former sports school in the Moscow region, funded with approximately 2 billion rubles, reflecting increased enthusiasm for this sport across Russia.

Sanctions

On 6 April 2022, in response to Russia's military actions in Ukraine, the United States imposed sanctions on Tikhonova as an adult offspring of Vladimir Putin. The U.S. Treasury highlighted her position as a technology executive involved in supporting the Russian government and its defense sector. Subsequently, the United Kingdom and the European Union enacted similar sanctions on 8 April, followed by Japan on 12 April, and New Zealand on 21 November 2022. These restrictions focused on freezing her assets and limiting her ability to engage in international commercial operations due to her close association with Russia's leadership.

Personal life

Tikhonova entered into marriage in 2013 with businessman Kirill Shamalov, who is the son of Nikolay Shamalov, a co-owner of Rossiya Bank. Kirill serves as vice-president at Sibur Holding, a Moscow-based company specializing in gas processing and petrochemicals, with 38% of its shares held by the government. Their combined wealth was estimated to be approximately $2 billion. Reports from Bloomberg News in January 2018 indicated that the couple had separated.

It has been reported that Tikhonova has a daughter born in 2017 with ballet performer Igor Zelensky.