Boat capsizes near Moscow with Putin's relative on board, one person killed

The incident on the water in Moscow Oblast drew widespread attention after it emerged that a businessman with family and personal ties to the Kremlin leader was on board. The accident occurred at a yacht club and resulted in the death of one passenger.

Putin's relative among injured

According to Russian media, the capsized boat was carrying six people, including Viktor Khmarin Sr., a relative of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As a result of the incident, Khmarin suffered hypothermia and bruises. Russian outlets claim his life is not in danger.

Ties to Kremlin leader and business background

Viktor Khmarin Sr. is known as the father of Viktor Khmarin Jr., the head of RusHydro.

In 1976, Khmarin Sr. married Lyubov Kruglova, a paternal cousin of Vladimir Putin. In addition, Khmarin and Putin were university classmates and maintained close ties during their student years.

Khmarin Sr. was previously a major supplier of equipment to Gazprom. He currently owns Nefteproduktservis, a company with annual revenue exceeding 800 million rubles. The business is managed by his nephew, Vladimir Kruglov.

Fatality and criminal links

Of the six people on board, five survived. Russian media reported that 68-year-old Viktor Averin was killed. His body was recovered by divers late at night and identified by relatives.

Averin was reportedly associated with the Solntsevskaya criminal group and considered a close associate of its founder, Sergey Mikhailov. He publicly denied any ties to organized crime and was never convicted.

Separately, the Kremlin recently responded skeptically to discussions of a potential trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the US at the level of national security advisers, calling the format unserious and saying no preparations were underway.

US officials rejected a Reuters report alleging that Putin intends to seize all of Ukraine and part of Europe, describing the claims as false and propagandistic.