Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast rumored to be the longtime girlfriend of Vladimir Putin, was nearly the subject of sanctions by the U.S. until it was decided it would be “so personal a blow to Mr. Putin that it could further escalate tensions between Russia and the U.S.” Kabaeva, or the “Secret First Lady,” as she is allegedly called in Russian tabloids, was first linked to Putin in 2008. A report by the newspaper Moskovsky Korrespondent claimed Putin was divorcing his wife Lyudmila Putin to be with Kabaeva, and Putin had the paper shut down days later. Putin has never con…