Russian publication suggests Putin's power is eroding

Russia's New Times has been increasingly critical of the Kremlin in recent years, and now  pushing the boundaries further in unveiling the secrecy surrounded Putin's private life, revealing that Putin's daughters and their associates have enjoyed speedy success in politics and business along with other children of the Kremlin's elite. Despite being hit with a state fine and targeted by cyber attacks, the increased bullishness of the magazine again suggests Putin's infamous grip on certain sectors of Russia is breaking down. On another note, reports are suggesting that the Kremlin's intervention in an alleged rape case involving a German-Russian girl has heightened suspicions in Berlin that the Kremlin is trying to stir trouble, with a view to weakening Chancellor Angela Merkel, adding that by undermining Merkel, the Kremlin hopes to destabilise Europe and create a vacuum into which it can project its own power.

A known magazine became a target of cyber-attacks and government warning after it released an expose on the very private life of the Putin family, particularly the daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to The Guardian a magazine called New Times was slapped with a state fine after it published an account about the whereabouts of Vladimir Putin's daughters Katerina and Maria.

New Times, which was established in 1943 and has become a vital figure in Kremlin in recent times, received a warning and a fine from Russia's communication oversight agency on Monday for an article it featured in its January issue about the Ukrainian ultranationalist group Right Sector, which is notoriously known for having been banned in Russia.

However, the penalty was also imposed the same day New Times released information about Russian President Putin's older daughter Maria. The magazine's official website crashed for several hours after the article's release on Monday.

The now controversial article holds that Putin's daughter Maria now goes by the name Maria Vladimirovna Faassen, the surname of his husband Jorrit Faassen, a Dutch businessman and director of Gazprom. OCCRP noted that 29-year-old Maria lives in a highly-secured apartment block near the United States Embassy in Moscow.

However, in the last six months neighbors have not seen any signs of Maria in the area, The Moscow Times wrote.

Faassen, who has a career as a medical researcher, apparently lives "the life of a wealthy woman." She reportedly does "a lot of world travel, riding expensive yachts, and hiring overseas teachers."

The more shocking revelation is that Putin's daughter Maria recently gave birth to a daughter named Mary.

The Putin family and information relating to them have mostly been kept under wraps, and the Russian president is keen on maintaining his private life as it is. But publications have grown more unflinching in recent times, coming out with news on the Putin family.

Reuters also made an expose on Putin's daughter Yekaterina (also referred to as Katerina) was discovered to have corporate holdings amounting to over £1.3 billion. Yekaterina's partner Kirill Shamalov also shares the billionaire status with Putin's daughter.

The New Times is known for being very critical of Russian authorities. It is also believed that the said magazine extends support towards Russia's opposition bloc. This isn't the first time, however, that they faced cyber-attacks from the Kremlin. New Times editor Yevgeniya Albats said the magazine also suffered an attack in 2013 when it did an interview with known Putin opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky.