Alina kabaeva photo gallery

A number of Russian and English-language accounts over the past week have shared a photo of a young boy at a church service alongside claims that he is in fact the son of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva.

Kabaeva is a former Olympic gymnast whom media outlets and even the U.S.

State Department have for years linked to the Russian leader.

The Kremlin has always denied there was any basis behind speculation that Putin is romantically involved with Kabaeva, even as her political career took off rapidly over the past decade amid accusations by the government's critics of corruption and nepotism.

The 70-year-old president of Russia confirmed that he had divorced his first wife, Lyudmila, in 2013, after 30 years of marriage, but aside from that has remained extremely guarded about his personal life.

This lack of transparency about Putin's private affairs and family matters has made it a target of near-constant speculation and conspiracy theories, including widely r