Nandita Bhose

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Two new targets have been added to the United States’ current round of sanctions against Russia. They are Katerina Putin and Maria, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s daughters. U.S. officials suspect that they are trying to hide Putin’s wealth.

Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhnova, Putin’s youngest daughter is a senior tech executive who supports the Russian government as well as its defense industry. This was according to U.S. details announced Wednesday.

The other child of his father, Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova, is in charge of government-funded programs, which have been funded by the Kremlin for genetics research and were personally overseen, according to the United States.

According to a top U.S. government official, “We believe Putin and his cronies and the Oligarchs conceal their wealth, hide assets, with family members, that place their assets & wealth in the U.S. fiscal system and also other parts around the world.”

The official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that he believes that Putin has many assets that are hiding with his family.

Reuters could not reach Putin’s daughters or their representatives immediately for comment.

The Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov’s daughter and his wife were also targeted in the sanctions announced Wednesday. In response to the “atrocities” committed by Russia in Ukraine, President Joe Biden, U.S. banned Americans from investing and targeted Russian officials and financial institutions.

Russia has denied intentionally attacking civilians. Images of victims in Bucha, north Kyiv, were created to support more sanctions.

Moscow claims it’s engaged in “special military operations” to “denazify and demilitarize” Ukraine. The West and Ukraine reject this as an excuse for Russia to invade.

Russia is sensitive about the size of Putin’s wealth. In a YouTube video, Alexei Navalny, an opposition politician, claimed that Putin is not the owner of an expensive palace in the Black Sea.

Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin spokesperson) stated that in February, sanctions initiated against Putin are pointless.

“Putin is very indifferent.” Peskov claimed that sanctions made absurd claims about assets. Peskov stated that the president does not have any assets other than what he declared.

U.S. legislators disagree.

U.S. While introducing legislation offering cash rewards to anyone who leads to seizure assets owned by sanctioned Russian Oligarchs, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse stated this a few weeks back.

ROCK N ROLL DANCER

Putin’s daughters who, according to the U.S., help him hide his wealth have not publicly acknowledged that Putin is their father. He has also refused to answer any questions.

A Reuters investigation from 2015 detailed the connections and influence Katerina, an acrobatic rock ’n’ roll dancer, holds in the next generation of Moscow’s elite. (For story, see: https://reut.rs/3ubo3kR)

The report stated that Katerina, aged 29, was described as Kirill Shamalov’s spouse, and son of Nikolai Shamalov. This is a close friend of President Putin. According to the report, Shamalov Senior is a shareholder at Bank Rossiya. This bank has been described by the U.S. as the “personal bank” of the Russian elite.

According to financial analysts, Kirill, and Katerina, had approximately $2 billion in corporate assets as husband and wife. These were in addition to any other assets and property.

According to Reuters, Putin’s older daughter Maria was educated at St. Petersburg University in biology and Moscow State University in medicine. Her involvement in genetic research is extensive, which Putin described in the past as “determining the future for the entire world.”

Russian media reported that Maria had married Jorrit Joost Foassen, a Dutch businessman.

As a 2015 doctoral candidate at Moscow’s Endocrinology Centre, she pursued a biomedical career focusing on the endocrine and was co-author of a book titled “idiopathic Stunting” for children.

The report stated that her husband worked for Gazprombank. This was a major lender and had strong connections to Putin’s elite. Their assets and holdings were not immediately estimated.