Putin’s Daughters Dragged Into Russian Sanctions Issue, Here Is Why

The United States continues to implement sanctions against Russia. The latest development is that the two daughters of Russian leader Vladimir Putin are the targets, allegedly because they allegedly have a hand in hiding the 69-year-old’s wealth.

Putin’s daughters, Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova and Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova have been revealed as the new targets as the US continues to employ sanctions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Reuters reported.

Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a tech executive whose work supports the Russian government and its defense industry.

On the other hand, Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova leads government-funded programs that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin for genetics research, and are personally overseen by Putin.

"We have reason to believe that Putin, and many of his cronies, and the oligarchs, hide their wealth, hide their assets, with family members that place their assets and their wealth in the U.S. financial system, and also many other parts of the world," a senior US administration official told reporters.

"We believe that many of Putin's assets are hidden with family members, and that's why we're targeting them," the official added.

The Kremlin is reportedly left bewildered by the move, calling it part of a broader Western frenzy in Russia.

Efforts were made by Reuters to reach the two women or their representatives but provide futile.

Aside from two of Putin’s daughters, there were also sanctions imposed on the daughter and wife of Russian foreign affairs minister Sergei Lavrov.

The US has banned Americans from investing in Russia, targeting Russian financial institutions and Kremlin officials, in response to what President Joe Biden condemned as Russian "atrocities" in Ukraine.

Tied to this are reports that civilians in Ukraine have been targeted by Russia. Images of bodies in Bucha north of Kyiv have popped up but Russia has denied any hand in it. They also bat that these were staged to justify the sanctions meted on the country.