Putin's girlfriend to head media group

Alina Kabayeva,an Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion, rumoured to be Russian President Vladimir Putin's lover, has been appointed the head of a powerful pro-Kremlin media group.The rumour has refused to die, however, and speculation over Putin's love life reignited after he and his wife Lyudmila announced their divorce last year. Alina Kabayeva, 31, announced that she was standing down early after seven years as an lawmaker for the ruling United Russia party, without saying why. "Alina Maratovna has accepted the offer of our shareholders to chair the board of directors," National Media Group's spokeswoman Oksana Razumova told .National Media Group (NMG) was created in a 2008 merger that included the holdings of businessman Yury Kovalchuk, who is also chairman of Bank Rossiya.