By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hours after President Vladimir Putin and his wife, Lyudmila, told Russians their marriage was over, an anchorman on a satirical on-line show gravely announced the latest news: Putin has named Lyudmila "acting First Lady". It was a joke, of course, but Russians say there's a touch of truth in every joke: While the reasons for the separation may be deeply personal, the staged admission of a long-suspected estrangement was Putin's latest pragmatic political gambit.

Vladimir Putin's carefully staged announcement that his marriage is over appears at odds with his declared conservative values but would make sense if the Russian president plans to remarry, analysts said Friday. In a country where there is a divorce for every two marriages, the announcement by Putin and Lyudmila, his wife of 30 years, may not make a dent in his popularity ratings, but is out of synch with his pronouncements about the values of traditional family.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife, Lyudmila, said on state television on Thursday that they had separated and their marriage was over after 30 years. Asked on Rossiya-24 television about longstanding rumors that they no longer lived together, the 60-year-old Putin said: "That is true." Lyudmila Putin, 55, said it had been "our common decision. And our marriage is over due to the fact that we barely see each other."

Moscow, Jun 6 (EFE).- President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila on Thursday announced their divorce in remarks to Russian television. "This was a joint decision. Our marriage has ended. We practically don't see each other. Each has their own life," the president said. The couple made their remarks after attending the ballet "Esmeralda" at the Grand Palace in the Kremlin. "Yes, one can say that this is a civilized divorce. We love our children very much, we're proud of them, we see (them) often," Lyudmila Putina said.