Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila have announced their decision to divorce after nearly 30 years of marriage.

The 60-year-old and his wife made the announcement on state television after they attended a ballet at the Kremlin.

His wife Lyudmila, 55, who he married in 1983, was at his side at the time and also commented.

Both were adamant that it had been a mutual decision.

Responding to a question about whether they now lived separately, Vladimir Putin said: “Yes, it’s true.

“All my activities, all my work is connected with publicity, with absolute publicity. Some people like it, some don’t.

“But there are people who are absolutely incompatible with that. Lyudmila Alexandrovna has been on guard for the last eight, or nine years, already. So, that is a mutual decision.

“We practically never saw each other. To each his own life.”

The Putins have two daughters, Maria and Yekaterina, both in their late twenties.

Lyudmila Putina was rarely seen in public during her husband’s long tenure at the top of Russian politics.

Mr Putin’s private life meanwhile, has been subject to speculation.

The couple had last been seen in public together at Mr Putin’s inauguration to his third presidential term on May 7 last year. The joint appearance provoked further comment in the Russian media.

In the carefully-orchestrated televised announcement of their divorce, the pair answered questions posed by an interviewer from Rossiya-24 TV, after walking towards the camera into a grand reception hall.

Mrs Putina said: “This was really our mutual decision. Our marriage is over because we barely see each other.

“Vladimir Vladimirovich is completely engaged with his work, our children have grown up, they’re living their own lives.

“So it just happened that we both have our own lives. And I am indeed not a public person.

“Flying is difficult for me. And we pretty much don’t see each other.”

She added: “We’ve always had good relations. I am very grateful to Vladimir Vladimirovich for supporting me, and the children, he cares a lot about children and they feel it.”

Asked whether they were already divorced, she said: “It’s a civilised divorce, so to speak.”

Neither clarified whether they had already legally divorced.President Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he did not know.

The couple married on July 28, 1983, when Mr Putin was a young officer in the KGB and she was an air hostess.

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