UK joins EU & US, announces fresh set of sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s daughters

In response to the Russian military offensive against Ukraine, the UK has announced sanctions against President Vladimir Putin's daughters under new measures to target their 'lavish lifestyles.' Britain has followed the US and EU in imposing sanctions against Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova. In addition to Putin's daughter, UK authorities have also announced sanctions against Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's daughter. 

"The lavish lifestyles of the Kremlin’s inner circle will be further targeted from today as the UK sanctions the daughters of President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Britain government announced sanctions in the statement. 

According to the UK government statement, assets of Putin's daughters Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova and Sergey Lavrov's daughter Yekaterina Sergeyevna Vinokurova have been frozen. Furthermore, travel ban has been imposed against Kremlin leader's daughter-duo and Lavrov's daughter. The UK government highlighted that the decision has been taken in coordination with the sanctions imposed by the US. The decision comes after UK announced sanctions against Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's step daughter Polina Kovaleva on 25 March. 

60% of Russian foreign currency reserves frozen: UK

The UK government said that their analysis has shown that 60% of Russian foreign currency reserves have been frozen due to international sanctions. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the statement announced that their sanctions have been targeting the elites and their families and also affecting the Russian economy. She stated that they are working with their partners at G7 to stop using Russian energy which will further affect Russian President Putin's ability to spend money on war against Ukraine. 

Who are Putin's daughters?

Putin has two daughters, Maria and Katerina, from his marriage to Lyudmila Putina with whom he divorced in 2013. While Putin has kept his family away from the limelight and has rarely spoken about them. In his annual press conference in 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that his daughters have been educated in Russia and he was "proud" of them, as per The Guardian. He had revealed that they live in Russia and continue their study. Putin’s elder daughter, Maria Vorontsova is a paediatric endocrinologist and is studying the impact of hormones on the body, as per the report. Putin's younger daughter Katerina Tikhonova was born in 1986 in Dresden, while Putin was stationed as a KGB agent. She was appointed the head of “artificial intelligence issues and intellectual systems” at Moscow State University in 2020. 

Zelenskyy expresses views on sanctions against Russia 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, April 7, spoke in an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, where he expressed gratitude to countries for imposing sanctions against Russia. He stated that the sanctions should be used as a weapon and countries should impose "powerful sanctions" against Russia The Ukrainian President said,  "Sanctions should be like nuclear weapons but the one that is not taking lives of people, they are like modern state-of-the-art weapons." Furthermore, Zelenskyy said, "If you took a gun then just shoot, you know, otherwise don't take this gun, do not try to threaten people! If you have already taken those 'modern state-of-the-art weapons', sanctions into your hands, then apply that. Impose all-powerful sanctions, do not pretend as if you are trying to support Ukraine but trying to not lose all the economic relations with Russia. That is half measures, that will not work. These sanctions would be without any significance in the Russian Federation."

Image: AP/Twitter/@Exen