Putin’s daughters in the crosshairs of new European sanctions

The European Union announced the imposition of sanctions on the two daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with more than 200 other people, as part of its latest package of sanctions once morest Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, according to an official list published by the bloc on Friday.

Those on the European list, which also includes 18 companies, face confiscation of their assets and a travel ban to the 27 countries of the Union.

The European Union countries had agreed to include the names of Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, Putin’s two daughters by his ex-wife Lyudmila, in the sanctions list at the beginning of the week, but the decision did not enter into force until Friday when it was published in the Official Gazette.

“We are once once more strengthening our sanctions lists and adding to them more people from the worlds of politics, business and those who engage in propaganda activities, as well as more entities from the financial, industrial, military and transport sectors,” EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said in a statement.

“We are targeting the Kremlin and the political and economic elites that support Putin’s war in Ukraine. The goal of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhuman and aggressive behavior of the Russian forces and to make it clear to Kremlin decision-makers that their aggression will have a heavy cost,” he added.

Britain and the United States have also imposed sanctions on Putin’s two daughters and the daughter of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to retaliate for “the extravagant lifestyle of circles close to the Kremlin”.

A statement from the British Foreign Office stated that under the decision, Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, as well as Ekaterina Vinokurova, Lavrov’s daughter, are prevented from entering Britain while their potential assets are frozen.

“Within the framework of the G7, we are working with partners to stop the use of Russian energy and to deal a further blow to Putin’s ability to fund his illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” British Foreign Secretary Lise Truss said.

“Together, we tighten the screws on the Russian war machine and cut off the sources of Putin’s money,” she added.

The UK has imposed sanctions on more than 1,200 individuals and companies, including 76 oligarchs, since the Russian invasion began in February.