Britain has added a dozen people to its list of sanctions over Russia's war against Ukraine, this time targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and the network of those around him, including his ex-wife and cousins.
Foreign Minister Liz Truss said in a statement on May 13 that the fresh sanctions are aimed at "Putin’s ‘wallet’ of family and friends– those whom he rewards with state positions and wealth in return for their undying loyalty."
While Putin officially lists owning just a few minor assets such as a small apartment in St. Petersburg, a couple of Soviet-era cars, a camping trailer inherited from his late father, and a small garage, his critics and activists say he has amassed a huge personal fortune and spread it out through relatives and close associates.
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Those added to the list include Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic gymnast who is rumored to be the mother of two of Putin's children, Anna Zatseplina, Kabaeva's grandmother and an associate of longstanding Putin ally Gennady Timchenko, and Putin's former wife, Lyudmila Ocheretnaya.
Alina Kabaeva has risen to head the board of directors of the National Media Group, reportedly the largest private Russian media company. Putin and Kabaeva have been pictured together on several occasions, but they have never publicly admitted to having a relationship.
"We are exposing and targeting the shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle and tightening the vice on his inner circle. We will keep going with sanctions on all those aiding and abetting Putin’s aggression until Ukraine prevails," Truss said.
Since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the United Kingdom has sanctioned over 1,000 individuals and 100 entities, including hitting oligarchs with a net global worth of over $143 billion.
The European Union, the United States, and several other western allies have also slapped sanctions on Putin, the Russian economy, and many of the country's billionaires.