# Putin’s grandson ‘is barred from using his father’s surname – because it is Zelensky’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/putins-grandson-is-barred-from-using-his-fathers-surname-because-it-is-zelensky/
- Published: 2026-11-13T14:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T15:04:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16290079/Putins-grandson-barred-using-fathers-surname-Zelensky.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Putin’s grandson Adrian reportedly uses his mother’s surname.
- His father is ballet director Igor Zelensky, unrelated to Ukraine’s president.
- Adrian was registered 11 months after his reported birth.

## Summary

A new investigation claims Vladimir Putin’s grandson Adrian uses his mother Katerina Tikhonova’s surname rather than his father Igor Zelensky’s. The name is an exact match for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s, though the two men are unrelated; the reported choice comes amid Russia’s prolonged war against Ukraine.

Adrian was reportedly born on 15 August 2025 but registered 11 months later, despite Russian law requiring births to be registered in the following month. His surname was recorded as Tikhonov, the male form of Tikhonova; his older sister Elsa was initially registered with the female form of her father’s surname and is now believed to use Tikhonova. The investigation said the delay may have been linked to concealing the birth or to the parents’ different surnames.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.