Almost a year after his birth, the son of Katerina Tikhonova, Vladimir Putin’s daughter, was registered under his mother’s surname – Tikhonov, rather than the surname of his probable father, Igor Zelensky. The boy, who according to an investigation by „Agentstvo“ is named Adrian Igorevich Tikhonov, was born in Moscow on August 15, 2025.
The child’s surname has attracted attention because it coincides with that of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The person in question is ballet dancer and choreographer Igor Zelensky, who previously served as artistic director of the Bavarian State Ballet. There is no family connection between him and the Ukrainian head of state.
Birth certificate issued almost 11 months later
According to data cited by „Agentstvo“, the first document confirming the birth was issued by the Central Clinical Hospital of the Administrative Directorate of the President of Russia. The official birth certificate, however, was not issued until July 10, 2026, by the civil registry office in Moscow’s Chertanovo district.
This means that the registration was completed almost 11 months after the birth. By law, a birth must be reported within one month. There is no public explanation for the delay. „Agentstvo“ suggests that it may be connected both to the family’s desire to conceal the birth and to the parents’ different surnames – Tikhonova and Zelensky.
The older child also uses her mother’s surname
Katerina Tikhonova and Igor Zelensky also have a daughter, Elsa, who was born in 2017. At birth, she was given the feminine form of her father’s surname – Zelenskaya. Later, however, she used her mother’s surname when traveling abroad, according to data cited by „Agentstvo“.
Tikhonova, who is 40, heads the Innopraktika Foundation and takes part in Russian technology projects, including the development of artificial intelligence. She is the younger of Putin’s two officially known daughters. His older daughter, Maria Vorontsova, has two children.
The Russian president’s family has kept its private life out of the public eye for years. His children and grandchildren are often associated with surnames other than Putin. According to „Agentstvo“, Adrian is probably the Russian president’s fourth known grandson, but details about his family remain limited.