Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

UK joins US in imposing sanctions on Putin’s daughters

UK joins US in imposing sanctions on Putin’s daughters

Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova will be subject to asset freeze and travel ban
The UK has imposed sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, following in the footsteps of the US in another symbolic move to put pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova will be subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban, although it is not clear whether either of them has ever visited the UK or whether they own any assets within reach of UK officials.

The US imposed sanctions on the women on Wednesday, with a senior US official saying that many of Putin’s assets were hidden with family members. There have been persistent but unconfirmed reports that Putin has fathered other daughters but Tikhonova and Vorontsova are his only publicly acknowledged children.

Both were designated by the UK on Friday under an urgent procedure, under which the government can impose sanctions on the basis of allies’ evidence if they think it is in the public interest. The urgent procedure gives the UK 56 days to find its own evidence.

The EU has also imposed sanctions on the sisters as part of a new package of measures targeting Russia’s economy, businessmen and oligarchs, according to two EU officials who spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Neither daughter had been added to the EU’s public sanctions list on Friday morning.

A report on the EUobserver website earlier this week, citing a draft version of that EU list, claimed the soon-to-be-announced sanctions would also cover several wives, ex-wives, sisters, stepdaughters and mothers-in-law of pro-Kremlin oligarchs.

Putin’s daughters with his former wife, Lyudmila, have kept a low public profile and have not made any official public appearances with him as adults.

The UK’s sanctions designation said Vorontsova was born in April 1985 in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, and that Tikhonova was born a year later in Dresden, where Putin worked undercover as a spy for the KGB intelligence service until the fall of the Soviet Union.

The US described Tikhonova as a “tech executive”. It said Vorontsova, thought to be a paediatric endocrinologist studying the effects of hormones on the body, leads state-funded programmes that have “received billions of dollars from the Kremlin toward genetics research and are personally overseen by Putin”.

Tikhonova, who uses the surname of her maternal grandmother, studied at St Petersburg State University and Moscow State University and has a master’s degree in physics and mathematics.

While Putin has previously said they “live their own lives”, the US government has said there is evidence that those around them have benefited from their father’s power.

Tikhonova was previously married to Kirill Shamalov, who was designated for sanctions in April 2018 by the US in response to Russia’s “worldwide malign activity”. The US government said Shamalov married Tikhonova in February 2013.

“His fortunes drastically improved following the marriage,” the US said, pointing to the acquisition of a large portion of shares of Sibur, a Russian oil and gas producer, and a $1bn loan from the state-controlled Gazprombank that helped propel him into the “billionaire elite”.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×