Overview
- The child, identified as Adrian and born on August 15, 2025, was reported to have been registered 11 months after his birth with the masculine form Tikhonov rather than his father’s surname.
- Agentsvo first disclosed the registration details and the Daily Mail republished the findings, but state authorities and other independent outlets have not confirmed the report.
- The boy’s father is named as ballet director Igor Zelensky, whose surname is identical to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky though the outlets say the men are not related.
- Reporting links the registration choice to a wider pattern in which people close to Vladimir Putin use alternative or maternal surnames, and it notes that Katerina Tikhonova is a high-profile tech and AI executive.
- Russian law normally requires births to be registered within a month, so the 11-month delay is atypical and could reflect efforts to keep the child out of public view or administrative complications; further verification from official records or independent investigations is likely to be the next step.