In its latest steps against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the United States (US) imposed sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s two daughters, Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova, believing that they are hiding the Russian President’s wealth
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,” Reuters quoted a senior US official as saying.
“We believe that many of Putin’s assets are hidden with family members, and that’s why we’re targeting them,” the official added.
Who are Putin’s daughters – Katerina and Maria?
Only a little is known about Putin’s family and they have hardly made any public appearances. According to a report by BBC, Katerina, 35, and Maria, 36, are daughters of Putin’s ex-wife Lyudmila, whom the Russian President had married in 1983 during his days as a KGB officer.
Putin and Lyudmila’s marriage lasted for 30 years, but they announced their separation in 2013. “It was a joint decision: we hardly see each other, each of us has our own life,” Putin had said.
Similarly, Lyudmila had said that Putin was “completely drowned in work”.
Talking about their daughters, Maria was born in 1985. Maria, who is also called Maria Putina sometimes, studied biology at St Petersburg University and then went to the Moscow State University to study about medicines
She is also listed as a doctor at the Endocrinology Research Center in Moscow. According to BBC, Maria is co-owner of a Russian firm that is “involved in the implementation of the largest private investment project in Russian healthcare.”
The report further claimed that Maria is married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Joost Faassen, who used to work at a Russian state-owned firm. The two, however, have separated now.
Talking about Katerina, she was born in 1986 in Germany. She is nicknamed as Katya. Reuters has claimed that Katerina is a tech executive “whose work supports the Russian government and its defence industry”.
In 2018, Katerina – who is in academia and business – made a brief appearance in Russian media and spoke about neurotechnology. Later, she made an appearance at a business forum.
Reportedly, Katerina is married to Kirill Shamalov, son of Putin’s longtime friend Nikolai Shamalov. However, they separated in 2018. Reuters claimed she holds a senior position at the Moscow State University, and helps direct a USD 1.7 billion plan to expand its campus.
