Vladimir Putin has formally divorced his wife of 30 years, it has been announced.

The couple declared their intention to separate last June, but the recent removal of Lyudmila Putina's name from the Russian president's website 'means the divorce took place', his spokesman said.

There has been speculation for a number of years that Putin's marriage was in difficulty, with much made of an apparent secret relationship with 30-year-old former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva. 

The confirmation of the divorce comes after all mentions of Putin's marriage to Lyudmila Putina, 56, were removed from the biography page of his official website.

The references were replaced with a simple note saying he has two daughters - Maria and Katerina. 

Putina, who was born Lyudmila Shkrebneva, met Putin in the early 1980s while they were both studying at the then Leningrad State University.

The couple married on 28 July 1983, with their first daughter, Maria, born in 1985, and their second, Katerina, arriving the following year.

The couple spent much of the 1980s in the East German city of Dresden, where Putin worked for the KGB, before moving back to Leningrad in 1990 - the year before the city changed its named to Saint Petersburg.

While Putin's political career flourished in the 1990s, Putina chose to keep a low profile - initially teaching German at Leningrad State University.

The only public statements she has made have generally been regarding the Russian education system - specifically the preservation of traditional spelling and grammatical rules - and broader comments supporting the policies of her former husband.

There has been speculation about the state of the couple's marriage for years following the absence of Putina from almost every public event during Putin's second term as president.

Last June the couple formally confirmed rumours of their separation in a staged interview that was broadcast on state television.

During their appearance, Mr Putin said: 'It was a joint decision: we hardly see each other, each of us has our own life.'

Putina added that flying was difficult for her and that her husband was 'completely drowned in work'.

The divorce was 'civilised' and the couple would 'always remain close', she went on to say.

Despite denying rumours of an imminent marriage to Alina Kabayev as long ago as 2008, speculation over their alleged relationship has persisted.

In October last year it was reported that Putin had secretly married Kabayev, prompting the Kremlin to release a statement saying the president's love life was a personal matter and only he could make an announcement on it.

In January this year the rumours resurfaced after the former Olympic gymnast was pictured wearing a ring on the fourth finger of her right hand - the finger on which Russian women traditionally wear their wedding rings.

Kabayeva was later seen among the final six torchbearers at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics in February.