Who is the secret lover of Patriarch Kirill of Russia. She accompanies him on his foreign travels and holds his wealth.

According to an investigation by the independent Russian publication “Proekt”, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, allegedly has a secret partner who lives in his apartment, accompanies him on foreign trips, and formally owns the family’s real estate and cars.

According to Dialog.ua, she owns holiday homes, villas, and land in Russia and Europe, as well as all the family’s cars: from Lexus to BMW X5.

The investigation shows that this is not a “relative,” as the church propaganda claims, but a civil partner, a relationship forbidden by Orthodox canons. Journalists reveal that this is Lidia Leonova, who lives in the patriarch’s apartment, accompanies him on foreign trips, and formally owns his real estate and cars.

Lidia, first introduced as the Patriarch’s “third cousin”

Leonova’s name first appeared publicly in 2012, during the scandal related to the patriarch’s luxury apartment in the “House on the Embankment” in Moscow. The action against a neighbor was not initiated by Kirill, but by Leonova herself.

To save the reputation of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Soloviev intervened, stating that Leonova was the patriarch’s “third cousin”. However, an analysis of their biographies has shown that this is a lie.

According to the investigation, in 1971, Hlodova married Mihail Leonov, but their marriage fell apart. In 1984, when Gundiaev was sent to serve in Smolensk,

Leonova followed him. Journalist Ksenia Luchenko, author of a book on the contemporary history of the Russian Orthodox Church, quotes a close associate of Gundiaev: Leonova was deeply involved in all his affairs, managed the house, gifts, and contacts. In his opinion, considering her a “third cousin” is naive.

The family’s company “Vladolid”, which deals with real estate management, is registered in the woman’s name.

She owns a 200 square meter commercial space in a historic building in St. Petersburg, as well as a 120 square meter apartment in the same building.

Also, a villa and lands in the village of Sivkovo, near the “Patriot” park, an apartment worth about 60 million rubles (652,492 euros) in the center of Moscow, and all the family’s cars are registered in Leonova’s name.

Flights on private planes

On February 5, 2019, a private Airbus A318-112 Elite plane, designed for VIP transportation, landed in Baku with Patriarch Kirill on board. Lidia Leonova also disembarked from the plane.

As previously reported by “Novaia Gazeta”, Kirill spent nine days in Baku with her, celebrating his tenth anniversary as Patriarch, almost without appearing in public.