Britain's Telegraph newspaper yesterday reported that rumours of Mr Putin's courtship of the 24-year-old Alina - a champion gymnast and model who is now a deputy in the Russian parliament - have been circulating unofficially for some time.

However, the former KGB spy has yet to officially announce any separation from his 50-year-old wife Ludmilla although the couple are believed to have split two months ago.

The Telegraph cited a Russian newspaper, Moskovski Korrespondent, as saying the couple are to marry in mid-June, a little more than a month after he steps down as President. He will become Prime Minister and also take over the reins of the dominant United Russia party,

The Russian paper quoted a party planner in St Petersburg who claimed to be bidding to organise the couple's lavish wedding reception.

One website even claimed that the pair had been seen kissing in a Moscow restaurant.

While Mr Putin claims credit for rebuilding the pride of a nation shattered by post-communist chaos, the Telegraph points out that Miss Kabaeva was just a toddler when Mr Mikhail Gorbachev began the reform process which led to the end of the Soviet era.

But she clearly has other skills. Apparently known for her 'extreme natural flexibility', she represented Russia at both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games. She won a gold medal in Athens.

She is also reported to have posed for daring photographs wrapped in nothing but furs, and has appeared in an action film.

The Kremlin has so far remained silent on the increasingly frantic rumours of a June 15 wedding in Mr Putin's home town of St Petersburg.