A new report suggests that Katerina Tikhonova – widely believed to be Vladimir Putin’s second daughter – may be quietly supporting a campaign to weaken powerful foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, as the Kremlin searches for an exit strategy in a conflict that Russia has been unable to decisively win in Ukraine.
Former Kremlin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov told independent Russian media that Lavrov, 74, is now viewed in some elite circles as an outdated “hawk” whose confrontational diplomatic style is undermining any effort to explore negotiations or reduce tensions with the West. Gallyamov argues that in wartime stalemate, a different type of diplomat is required – someone who can be flexible and persuasive in international talks, not one who is primarily skilled at propaganda and confrontation.
Tikhonova, who heads Moscow’s Innopraktika Institute and has become increasingly active behind the scenes in Russia’s high-technology sector, is reportedly aligned with senior figures who favour a softer, more pragmatic strategy. One point of tension allegedly centres on Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who has acted as a backchannel with Western circles including Trump-era US networks. Moscow accounts claim that Lavrov once physically removed a chair intended for Dmitriev during US talks – illustrating how personal this power struggle may be.
In recent days, Lavrov resurfaced to accuse the United States of failing to deliver on verbal assurances made during Putin’s meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska. He said Washington had promised to ensure President Zelensky “would not block peace,” but claimed Europe is instead pushing America to further increase military pressure on Moscow.
If reports of Tikhonova’s rising influence are accurate, it signals growing fragmentation inside Russia’s governing class – and an acknowledgement within the Kremlin that Russia’s war approach has stalled. Gallyamov has even speculated that Tikhonova could be groomed as a future successor candidate, backed by heavyweight establishment figures like the powerful nuclear technocrat Mikhail Kovalchuk.
Tikhonova has previously maintained a low public profile, while quietly acting as a key facilitator for Russian state-aligned tech enterprises and sanctions evasion schemes. She is married to renowned ballet figure Igor Zelensky, and formerly was married to billionaire Kirill Shamalov. Reports in European media have detailed her private travel patterns and her use of expensive cosmetic procedures – all illustrating that despite Putin’s repeated claims that his children live private, quiet lives, they remain deeply entwined with political and financial elite networks.
The growing chatter about Tikhonova’s potential political role reflects a much wider picture: after nearly four years of war, cracks are appearing within Russia’s top leadership. Hardliners like Lavrov may be losing relevance – and new factions are positioning themselves for what a “post-Ukraine” Russia might look like.
Source:Africa Publicity
