As Vladimir Putin prepares to become Russia's President for an unprecedented¹ third time, speculation² is mounting as to why his wife Lyudmila Putina is never seen by his side.

正当弗拉基米尔-普京即将史无前例地第三次出任俄罗斯总统之际，有关他的妻子柳德米拉-普京娜鲜有露面的情况引发了外界的猜测。

Putin and wife Lyudmil(Left); Spy-turned-lingerie model Anna Chapman(Right)
Some say Putin's affair with spy-turned-lingerie model Anna Chapman, which has been strongly denied, is the reason the former Aeroflot-hostess is now rarely seen out in public.

Others say he is still seeing former Olympic gold medallist Alina Kabayeva, claims also heavily rebutted³, but who he was alleged⁴ to have fathered a child with.

A third theory is his 54-year-old love is 'locked away' in a 1million pound state-built guest house in the grounds of the ancient Yelizarov monastery⁵ outside Pskov - close to Estonia's border.

Locals say they have 'proof' she has been there - but all official enquiries to the authorities are met with a steely silence.

A final hunch⁶（预感，大块） is Lyudmila became angry when, in 2008, he stepped down from the top job but then took up the post of Prime Minister.

She is rumoured⁷ to have moved back to his native St Petersburg while he remained in the capital Moscow.

Sociologist⁸ Olga Kryshtranovkaya said Putin was merely copying Soviet⁹ leaders who hid their wives from view.

The one exception, she said, was Mikhail Gorbachev whose wife Raisa played a higher-profile role during the 1980s - but that led to criticism from ordinary Russians.

"For Russia, the status of First Lady is different than in Western countries. It's our mentality¹⁰ about the role of women, unfortunately," she told The Times.

"Our First Lady has practically always been a housewife who looked after the children and didn't invite herself into politics. The first change was with Gorbachev and it was a very unsuccessful example from the Russian point of view," she stated.

Previously¹¹, they were often pictured together on diplomatic trips abroad, but in the last two years they have been seen together just twice.