Two Of His Daughters Are Sanctioned For Being Believed To Be Hiding President Putin's Wealth, Kremlin Calls The Claims Absurd

Presiden Vladimir Putin. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - The United States has again imposed sanctions on Russia targeting entities, up to individuals at the country's elite level, including the two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the wife and daughters of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, over the invasion of Russia. Ukraine, Wednesday.

The entry of two of President Putin's daughters has been in the spotlight because it is believed by US officials that they are hiding their father's property.

The youngest Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a technology executive whose job is to support the Russian Government and its defense industry, according to details in the US sanctions package announced yesterday.

The eldest Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova leads the government-funded program, which has received billions of dollars from the Kremlin for genetic research, is personally overseen by Putin, the United States said.

"We have reason to believe that Putin, and his many cronies, and the oligarchs, are hiding their wealth, hiding their assets, with family members placing their assets and wealth in the US financial system, as well as many other parts of the world," he said. a senior US government official told reporters, citing Reuters April 7.

"We believe many of Putin's assets are hidden with family members, and that is why we targeted them (Putin's two daughters)," continued the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Reuters was not immediately available to reach Putin's daughter, their representatives or the Kremlin for comment.

Putin's daughters, whom the US believes helped him hide his wealth, have never publicly confirmed that the Russian leader is their father, and he has declined to answer questions about them.

A Reuters investigation from 2015 detailed the connections and influence of Katerina, an acrobatic rock 'n' roll dancer, held up by the next generation of Moscow's elite.

"Katerina, 29, describes herself as the spouse of Kirill Shamalov, son of Nikolai Shamalov, an old friend of President Putin," the report said.

"Shamalov senior is a shareholder in Rossiya Bank, which US officials describe as Russia's elite private bank."

As husband and wife, Kirill and Katerina have company holdings worth about $2 billion, according to estimates provided to Reuters by financial analysts. This is in addition to other properties and assets.

Putin's eldest daughter, Maria, studied biology at the University of St. Petersburg and medicine at Moscow State University, according to a Reuters investigation. He is also heavily involved in genetic research work, which has in the past been described as a field that will "define the future of the entire world" by President Putin.

According to Russian and Western media reports, Maria is married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Joost Faassen.

He pursued a biomedical career specializing in the endocrine system in 2015, as a doctoral candidate at the Endocrinology Research Center in Moscow, and is the author of a book on 'Idiopathic stunting' in children, Reuters reports.

Her husband used to work for Gazprombank, a large lender with strong ties to the elite surrounding Putin, the report said. No estimates were immediately available for the assets and their holdings.

The sanctions announced Wednesday also include the daughter and wife of Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. The US also barred Americans from investing in Russia, targeting Russian financial institutions and Kremlin officials, in response to what President Joe Biden denounced as Russian atrocities in Ukraine.

Russia denies deliberately attacking civilians, saying images of bodies in Bucha north of Kyiv were staged to justify more sanctions against Moscow. In addition, Russia says it is engaged in special military operations designed for demilitarization and denazification. Ukraine. This is what Ukraine and Western governments reject as a false pretext for the Russian invasion.

Meanwhile, Putin's wealth is a sensitive subject in Russia. The Kremlin last year denied he was the owner of a luxurious palace on the Black Sea, as opposition politician Alexei Navalny alleged in a video that drew huge views on YouTube.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in February that sanctions imposed on Putin alone were useless.

"(Putin) is quite indifferent. The sanctions contain unreasonable claims about some assets. The president has no assets other than those he has declared," Peskov said.

In contrast, US lawmakers believe otherwise.

"Putin and his oligarchs are keeping their dirty money in the rule of law by buying luxury homes, large yachts, works of art, and other high-value assets," US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said a few weeks ago, while introducing legislation offering cash. , in exchange for information leading to the seizure of assets held by the sanctioned Russian oligarchs.