Mariya and Katerina, like other oligarchs, officials and businesses close to the Kremlin, face an asset freeze and travel ban
If until now the international sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine went through gas, oil or the ruble, in addition to the blocking of accounts of people close to the Kremlin, from now on the spotlight is also focused on the family of Vladimir Putin. His daughters Mariya Vorontsova, 36, and Katerina Tikhonova, 35, are the new target of the European Union’s punishments, according to the newspaper ‘The Wall Street Journal’. The American newspaper also announced this Wednesday that the White House would join this measure after the trail of blood discovered in Bucha came to light after Moscow troops left the city they occupied for almost six weeks.
It is unknown if the two young women have assets or investments in European territory, although both could face the freezing of bank accounts and a travel ban as of today, as is the case with other Russian government officials, oligarchs, financial entities and state companies. To this must be added the agreement reached by the EU, the US and the G7 to ban all new investments from Moscow. An offensive responds to the “heinous crimes” that have taken place in Bucha, recalled the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. “These atrocities cannot, and will not, go unanswered,” she warned.
Washington, in coordination with its European partners, announced on Wednesday a new package of sanctions against Moscow with “devastating economic measures.” The allies thus block the assets of the largest Russian financial institution, Sberbank, and its largest private bank, Alfa Bank in the United States. President Joe Biden will sign an order that will prohibit his citizens from making new investments in Russia. Transactions with state companies have also been vetoed and their assets frozen under the jurisdiction of the North American country, which “damages” the Kremlin’s ability to use the resources of these companies to finance the war.
On the other hand, the sanctions target Putin’s inner circle. In addition to the daughters of the former Soviet leader, the White House has expelled from its financial system and frozen assets the wife and daughter of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as members of the Security Council, including former President Dimitri Medvedev and the current ‘premier’, Mijail Mishustin. “These individuals have enriched themselves at the expense of Russian citizens” and “are responsible for providing the necessary support for Putin’s war in Ukraine,” Washington detailed in a statement.
out of public life
Little is known about the daughters of the Russian leader, who he had with his first wife, Lyudmila Shkrebneva, and who during these years have tried to keep out of public life. According to the magazine ‘Forbes’, Mariya is an endocrinologist and co-owner of Nomeko, a company that participates in the construction of a cancer center on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. She was married to billionaire Kiril Shamalov, son of oligarch Nikolai Shamalov, one of the main shareholders of the Rossiya bank. Katerina, for her part, is a scientist and heads an artificial intelligence institute at Moscow State University. Her husband is Dutch businessman Jorrit Faasen.
This is not the only blow the Kremlin has suffered in recent days. After the Bucha massacre came to light, various countries such as Spain, France, Germany, Italy or Slovenia have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of being “intelligence agents”. In total, in 48 hours up to 180 expulsions were announced.
Topics
Vladimir Putin, White House, European Commission, European Union (EU), Germany, Spain, United States, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, War in Ukraine
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