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"  After 30 years of marriage, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila have announced on state television that they are amicably beginning divorce procedures, reports Buzzfeed. Said the President: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a joint decision [and] we practically never saw each other. To each his own life.&amp;quot; Lyudmila was equally laconic on the matter: &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t like publicity and flying is difficult for me.&amp;quot; They still respect each other and love the children they have. The end. But where are the exploitative tabloids? The flashy celebrity lawyers? The blogs spewing untrue, gossipy tripe about settlements and acrimony? (Not this blog, of course \u2014 we&amp;#039;re way too classy for that.) The separation&amp;#039;s been a long time coming: Putin&amp;#039;s wife was noticeably absent during his third presidential inauguration, and he once chose to spend her birthday with the French actor and noted public urinator Gerard Depardieu instead of her, according to NPR. However, the papers that picked up the scent of the presidential separation were American \u2014 not Russian. Is our country more obsessed with the romantic dissolution of two famous people (either politicians or celebrities) than others? More importantly \u2014 what&amp;#039;s next for single Putin? Vodka shots? [Insert another offensive Ruski stereotype here]? Or is this just a layover on the way to the all-important younger second wife? Follow Anna on Twitter. Image via Getty Images "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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