How the heirs of Russia's first president live

Boris Yeltsin was born on 1 February 1931 in the Ural village of Butka and died in 2007. His entire large family—his wife, two daughters, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren—now live mostly in Russia and abroad, trying not to attract attention.

Yeltsin was married once to Naina Iosifovna Girina, whom he met while studying at the Ural Polytechnic Institute. Their eldest daughter is Yelena Okulova, and the younger one is Tatyana Yumasheva.

Naina Yeltsina lives in the Moscow region settlement of Gorki, in a house where writer Maxim Gorky once lived. After her husband«s death, she worked to preserve his memory, helped create the museum at the Yeltsin Center, and wrote memoirs. In 2023, she provided the court with a character reference for former Yekaterinburg mayor Yevgeny Roizman, who is recognized as a foreign agent in Russia. Now Naina Iosifovna rarely appears in public, devoting time to family, gardening, and Nordic walking.

The eldest daughter, Yelena, was married twice: her first marriage to Sergei Fefelov ended in divorce, and she had a daughter, Ekaterina, with him. Her second husband became pilot Valery Okulov, who built a career at Aeroflot and the Ministry of Transport. Yelena devoted herself to raising three children. The family lives in an elite cottage community in the Moscow region.

Ekaterina Okulova, the eldest granddaughter, married her classmate Alexander Sorokin, who died in 2020. On social media accounts believed to belong to Ekaterina, there are critical statements about Russia in connection with the special military operation. Her exact place of residence is unknown: according to some reports, she left the country; according to others, she uses family real estate.

Maria Okulova graduated from MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of International Relations) and married businessman Mikhail Zhilenkov. He headed the company Sotsialnaya Initsiativa (Social Initiative), linked to fraud in shared-equity construction, and later worked at RostInvest, a firm mentioned in the context of hostile takeovers. The current activities of Maria and her husband are not publicized. The couple has two children.

Tatyana Yumasheva, Yeltsin«s younger daughter, has always been an active figure. She has a son, Boris, from her first marriage to Vilen Khairullin. In 1987, she married Alexei Dyachenko, and they had a son, Gleb, with Down syndrome. In 1996, Tatyana played a key role in her father»s election campaign. After divorcing Dyachenko, she married Yeltsin«s advisor Valentin Yumashev, with whom she had a daughter, Maria. The couple is on the board of trustees of the Yeltsin Center. Tatyana holds Austrian citizenship and has property abroad, and her husband owns offices in Moscow City.

Boris Yeltsin Jr., the president«s grandson, was known in his youth for a scandalous reputation, parties, and romances. He studied at an English school, later went into business, including opening a kindergarten, producing, and investing. He now lives abroad, and his social media accounts have not been updated since 2022.

Gleb Dyachenko, despite Down syndrome, became a silver medalist at the Special Olympics in swimming. Now he works as a coach for Paralympians. His appearance in the Yeltsin family, experts note, contributed to the development of inclusive education in Russia. In 2024, the media wrote about his relationship with Anastasia Petrova.

Maria Yumasheva, the youngest granddaughter, studied three languages from childhood, engaged in art and sports. She studied in Austria and England, was in a relationship with footballer Fyodor Smolov until 2022. She is now dating Gleb Berezovsky, son of oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Maria works professionally as a photographer; her exhibition «My Grandmother is the First Lady,» dedicated to Naina Yeltsina, tours Russian museums.