Leaked records: Putin and Kabaeva both in Kazakhstan in 2017
Leaked records of Russia's Federal Border Service indicate that Alina Kabaeva flew to Kazakhstan on a private jet in February 2017, when Russian President Vladimir Putin was visiting. The outlet dialog.ua links the trip to Putin's informal meetings with Kazakhstan's then leader.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva were outside Russia at the same time at least once, and may have travelled there together. It happened in Kazakhstan in February 2017. This is shown by leaked records of Russia's Federal Border Service, reported by the outlet dialog.ua. The publication says the trip could be connected to Putin's informal meetings with Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was Kazakhstan's leader at the time.
The flight to Almaty
According to the publication, Kabaeva flew to the Kazakh city of Almaty on 23 February 2017 aboard a private business jet, an Embraer Legacy 650. She travelled without friends or relatives. She returned to Russia four days later on the same aircraft. The trip was not publicly announced at the time.
Timing of Putin's visit
Putin officially arrived in Kazakhstan on 27 February, flying on the presidential aircraft. Russian state media later reported, however, that the head of state had arrived several days earlier and met Nazarbayev informally at the Shymbulak ski resort. That timing overlaps with Kabaeva's stay in Kazakhstan.
Cost of the aircraft
The plane Kabaeva used was operated by VistaJet. The flight probably cost around 26,000 US dollars. The publication adds that relatives of Russian officials and Kremlin representatives have used the same aircraft at various times.
The information rests on leaked data, and this publication does not independently confirm its authenticity.
