Vladimir Putin's aide denies rumours of President marrying ex-Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has denied claims that the head of the country has married a former Olympic gymnast.

Social media and Internet forums were flooded with claims that the recently divorced Putin had tied the knot with Alina Kabayeva in a secret ceremony.

According to Sky News, the rumours were sparked by Putin’s political rival Alexei Navalny, who tweeted: that Putin and Kabayeva have married at the Iver Monastery.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the suggestions in a TV interview, calling the rumours ‘Internet exercises out of boredom’.

Putin and his wife, Lyudmila, had made a joint announcement revealing they were to separate in a TV appearance in June.

Both said the reason for their split was the time-consuming nature of the president's work.