Moskovski Korrespondent, the Russian newspaper which published the story about Putin’s alleged relationship with an Olympic gold-medal gymnast and his plans to wed her was shut down yesterday.

Grigori Nekhoroshev, the newspaper’s editor, was forced to resign. Although rumors about Putin’s new relationship were circulating in the Russian capital for some months now, Moskovski Korrespondent was the first, and probably last, paper that dared defy the Kremlin by publishing the story.

The newspaper owned by billionaire tycoon Alexander Lebedev admitted that it published the story without having facts to back up its claims that the Russian president divorced his wife Lyudmila and plans to marry the 24-year-old gold medal-winning rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva in June.

Kabaeva represented Russia at the Sydney and Athens Olympics. She has been a one-time nude model, is currently a politician and has entered the Russian Parliament last December. She once posed wrapped in only fur and also appeared in an action film.

The Kremlin denied the allegations and so did Kabaeva, who also declared that she intends to sue the paper.

In the shutdown statement, the parent firm of the newspaper said it ceased activity due to “costs” and “conceptual disagreements with the newsroom” and said this had nothing to do with politics and is “solely a business decision”.

The paper was shut down just a few hours after Putin declared during a visit in Sardinia that the article published by Moskovski Korrespondent was 100% false.