Ukraine war: why the US is targeting Putin’s daughters Katerina and Maria with sanctions
- American officials believe the Russian leader is hiding his wealth with the help of his family members
- Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a tech executive, while Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova is involved in genetics research
The United States’ latest round of sanctions on Russia includes two new targets: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, Katerina and Maria, who US officials believe are hiding Putin’s wealth.
Putin’s daughter Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a tech executive whose work supports the Russian government and its defence industry, according to details in the US sanctions package announced on Wednesday.
His other daughter Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova leads government-funded programmes that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin toward genetics research, and are personally overseen by Putin, the United States said.
“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 US 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 said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
