The UK has added Russia’s President Vladimir Putin's ex-wife, cousins and alleged “girlfriend” to the sanctions for Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, according to the announcement of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on May 13.
Previously Putin has already been personally sanctioned, but unconfirmed reports claimed that Putin’s alleged “girlfriend”, ex-Olympic gymnast-turned-politician Alina Kabaeva was previously exempted from the US Treasury’s sanctions due to fears of a furious reaction from the Russian president.
The UK claims that Putin’s family members form a core contingent of his inner circle – receiving positions of power due to their affiliation to the regime. “Putin’s lavish lifestyle has regularly been on display, with reports exposing links to a GBP566mn yacht and the $1bn ‘Putin’s Palace’ – officially owned by a close associate, Arkady Rotenberg, who was sanctioned in December 2020,” according to the sanction announcement.
The latest May 13 UK sanctions include: