PART 1 IS HERE

Business career

Ludmila Putina graduated from the philology department, the Spanish language. In her youth, she worked as a lathe operator at the Torgmash factory, then as a flight attendant, a hospital nurse, and even organized drama courses. During her marriage, she took on a project for promoting and supporting the Russian language. The foundation entrusted to the First Lady is called the Center for Russian Language Development, founded in 2000.

Journalists from the Navalny.com portal did not find much information about this foundation, but after analyzing the donations and generous transfers for fictitious activities, they concluded that the purpose for which the center exists is to drain taxpayers' money from the budget.

In the early years of Vladimir Putin's rule, Ludmila was given control of a historic mansion in the center of Moscow, which had belonged to Prince Volkonsky, the grandfather of Leo Tolstoy - the author of the novel "War and Peace." The mansion, officially a monument of architecture, became the headquarters of the Center for Russian Language Development, led by Ludmila Putina, who paid nothing for its rent.

The Volkonsky mansion, a historical monument, is now a property of Ludmila Ocheretnaya-Putina. Credit: Navalny.com 

In 2005, the mansion was transferred to the aforementioned foundation, free of charge. The following year, the institution also became the owner of the land on which the building exists, totaling over 4,000 square meters – a gift from the Moscow city administration.

In 2010, an adjacent building was erected, becoming part of the historic complex, still owned by Ludmila Putina's center. The status of official monument was canceled a year before, so in 2013, reconstruction of the mansion began, despite protests from historians and residents.