Vladimir Putin arrived New Delhi for the BRICS Summit on September 11–13, 2026 his first in-person appearance at a BRICS gathering outside Russian soil since the Ukraine war began in February 2022. The summit, hosted by India, brings together leaders of eleven BRICS nations as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with rising trade tensions and tariff pressures, dominate the global agenda.

For Putin specifically, this visit carries weight beyond the summit agenda. It signals Russia’s continuing ability to engage with major non-Western powers even while remaining under sweeping Western sanctions, and it comes at a moment when his presence on the world stage remains as closely watched as at any point in his more than two decades in power.

Vladimir Putin BRICS India Visit What’s Happening

Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi, where he was received by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh. Posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi lined the streets of the capital, while heavy security deployments and traffic restrictions reshaped central Delhi for the two-day summit on September 12–13.

He is scheduled to participate in the BRICS Summit and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss ways to expand bilateral trade, investment, and energy cooperation.

The broader summit context is dominated by the Ukraine war and the ongoing Iran-US-Israel tensions, which have complicated the bloc’s stated goal of amplifying the voice of the Global South in international affairs. Putin’s presence adds a specific weight to those discussions: Russia is simultaneously the co-author of one of those wars and a founding BRICS member arguing that the existing international order needs fundamental reform.

Who Is Vladimir Putin?

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad  now Saint Petersburg  in the Soviet Union. At 73 years old, he remains one of the most powerful and consequential figures in global politics, having served as President of Russia across multiple terms spanning more than two decades.

His background is shaped by two formative institutions: the KGB, which he served from 1975 to 1991, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and the post-Soviet political world of Saint Petersburg, where he rose through the ranks in the 1990s under Mayor Anatoly Sobchak.

Vladimir Putin Height and Physical Profile

Vladimir Putin’s height is approximately 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) a fact that has attracted a surprising amount of international commentary, partly because his on-screen presence and body language frequently project a larger-than-expected physical image.

His weight is approximately 77 kilograms. He is known for maintaining a strong athletic regime, with judo being the most publicly visible element  he holds a black belt and continues to train. Ice hockey, swimming, and horse riding have also been regularly photographed activities.

Vladimir Putin Net Worth  What We Actually Know

Vladimir Putin’s net worth is one of the most contested and genuinely uncertain figures in global finance.

What independent researchers and investigative journalists have documented tells a very different story. Reports from journalists at Bellingcat, OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project), and various Western intelligence assessments have pointed to a network of assets tied to Putin through oligarchs and state entities  including palaces, yachts, and stakes in major Russian enterprises.

>As of September 2026, it’s estimated that Vladimir Putin has a net worth of about $70 billion, based on information from different sources, though this figure is widely speculated rather than documented.Some estimates run as high as $200 billion when accounting for indirect control over state-connected assets.

Vladimir Putin Wife Marriage and Divorce

Vladimir Putin’s wife was Lyudmila Putina (born Lyudmila Shkrebneva), whom he married in July 1983. They were together for 30 years before announcing their divorce in 2013 and finalizing it in 2014.

The marriage was notably private even by the standards of Russian political life. Lyudmila gave very few public appearances and virtually no interviews during her time as Russia’s First Lady. The divorce announcement was made on Russian state television in unusually casual terms  Putin and Lyudmila simply said it was a mutual decision and that was that.

Since the divorce, speculation about Putin’s personal life has not stopped. A relationship with Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion, has been widely reported for years by international media, though neither Putin nor Kabaeva has confirmed it officially. Russian state media does not cover this topic.

Putin has not remarried. His official relationship status remains “divorced.”

Vladimir Putin Children

Vladimir Putin’s children officially number two daughters, both born during his marriage to Lyudmila.

Maria Vorontsova

Maria Vorontsova (born 1985) is a pediatric endocrinologist. She lives a largely private life and has been known publicly primarily because Western governments sanctioned her following the 2022 Ukraine invasion, citing her ties to the Russian state and access to elite circles.

Katerina Tikhonova

Katerina Tikhonova (born 1987) has been more publicly visible. She has been associated with high-profile acrobatic rock-and-roll dance performances and has worked in roles connected to major Russian research and technology institutions. She was also sanctioned by Western governments in 2022.

Both daughters were kept almost entirely out of public life for most of their childhoods and young adulthoods. Neither is active on social media in any publicly verified capacity.

Vladimir Putin Twitter and Instagram Social Media Presence

Vladimir Putin’s Twitter (now X) and Vladimir Putin’s Instagram presence is limited, with no personally run official accounts.

His official communications go through the Kremlin’s own channels:

• Official Kremlin website: kremlin.ru
• Kremlin’s Telegram channel (increasingly used for Russian domestic and international communications)
• RT (Russia Today) carries many official statements and appearances

Putin has not maintained a verified personal social media presence on any major Western platform, and in the context of Russia’s restrictions on Western social media, that is unlikely to change. The official Kremlin site remains the verified source for his statements, speeches, and press releases.

BRICS 2026 Why Putin’s Attendance Matters

Putin’s presence in New Delhi carries specific significance beyond the summit’s formal agenda.India has maintained a carefully calibrated position on the Ukraine war  continuing to buy Russian oil at discount prices, abstaining rather than voting against Russia at key UN votes, and insisting on the primacy of dialogue. Modi’s government has argued consistently that peace requires engagement, not isolation.

Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are due to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to meet Modi on the sidelines of the two-day meeting.For India, the summit is a moment to demonstrate that it can host both Putin and Xi simultaneously while maintaining its own independent foreign policy  a balancing act that has defined Modi’s approach to global affairs.

Russia-India Relations Under Putin

Russia and India have maintained a durable strategic partnership since the Soviet era, and that relationship has deepened rather than weakened since the Ukraine invasion began.India’s import of Russian oil has surged significantly since Western sanctions pushed Moscow to redirect its energy exports. Defense cooperation remains strong, with a significant portion of India’s military equipment being of Russian origin. Space, nuclear energy, and pharmaceutical sectors are also areas of active bilateral engagement.

Conclusion

Vladimir Putin’s arrival in India for BRICS 2026 is the kind of moment that captures multiple realities at once. He remains under an ICC warrant. Western sanctions have hit Russia’s economy. The war in Ukraine continues. And he is sitting down with the leaders of the world’s most populous nations in one of the world’s most important emerging economies.

His continued dominance of Russian politics  and his ability to project influence globally despite sustained Western pressure defines the central tension of contemporary international relations. Whether that changes in the years ahead depends on factors well beyond any single summit, but New Delhi in September 2026 is as visible a stage as he’s stood on outside Russia in years.

FAQs

What is Putin’s salary?

Vladimir Putin’s officially declared salary as President of Russia is approximately $140,000–$187,000 per year  a figure that ranks well below the salaries of most Western heads of government. His official asset declarations list an 800-square-foot apartment, a small plot of land with a trailer, and three vehicles. Independent researchers and investigative journalists, however, have documented a far larger network of assets tied to Putin through oligarchs and state-connected entities  including palatial residences and luxury yachts. Western intelligence assessments and investigative reports like those from OCCRP have estimated his true net worth at anywhere from $70 billion to $200 billion, though none of these figures can be officially verified. Putin has dismissed all such estimates as politically motivated fabrications.

How popular is Vladimir Putin in Russia?

Vladimir Putin’s domestic approval ratings inside Russia have remained consistently high throughout his presidency, typically ranging between 65 and 85 percent according to the Levada Center  Russia’s most credible independent polling organization. These figures need context: Russia does not have a free press, critical voices face real legal and physical risks, and survey respondents in authoritarian systems often give socially expected answers. That said, even allowing for those pressures, most analysts believe Putin commands genuine support among large segments of the Russian population, particularly older Russians who associate his early tenure with economic stability following the chaos of the 1990s.

How many wives did Putin marry?

Vladimir Putin has been married once. He married Lyudmila Shkrebneva in July 1983 and remained married to her for 30 years. In 2013, they announced their divorce on Russian state television, and it was finalized in 2014. Putin has not remarried since. A long-rumoured relationship with Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics and current chair of a major Russian media holding company, has been reported extensively by international media, but neither Putin nor Kabaeva has ever publicly confirmed it. Russian state media does not discuss the subject. Officially, Putin remains divorced and unmarried.