Bucha killings: US sanctions Vladimir Putin's daughters, know why are they being targeted

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and uproar on the appalling Bucha killings, the United States on Wednesday announced fresh sanctions on Moscow, including various economic penalties on President Vladimir Putin’s adult daughters.

The US believes that Putin’s daughters, Katerina and Maria, are hiding Putin`s wealth.

Who are Putin’s daughters and what do they do?

According to details in the U.S. sanctions package, Putin`s daughter Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a tech executive whose work supports the Russian government and its defence industry.

His other daughter Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova leads government-funded programs that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin for genetics research, and are personally overseen by Putin, the United States said.

"We believe that many of Putin`s assets are hidden with family members, and that`s why we`re targeting them," a US senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Why are Putin’s daughters being targeted by the US?

As per US officials and the sanction package, the US has reasons to believe that both the daughters of Vladimir Putin are agents in hiding his wealth.

The extent of Putin`s wealth is a sensitive subject in Russia. The Kremlin last year denied that he was the owner of an opulent palace on the Black Sea, as alleged by opposition politician Alexei Navalny in a video that drew a huge audience on YouTube.

However, Putin’s daughters, who the US believes help him hide his wealth, have never confirmed publicly the Russian leader is their father, and he has refused to answer questions about them.

"Katerina, 29, described herself as the spouse of Kirill Shamalov, son of Nikolai Shamalov, a longtime friend of President Putin," the report said. "Shamalov senior is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, which U.S. officials have described as the personal bank of the Russian elite."

As husband and wife, Kirill and Katerina had corporate holdings worth about $2 billion, according to estimates provided to Reuters by financial analysts. This was in addition to other property and assets.

Putin`s elder daughter Maria studied biology at St. Petersburg University and medicine at Moscow State University, according to the Reuters investigation. She is also heavily involved in genetic research work, which Putin has in the past described as a field that will "determine the future of the whole world."

According to Russian and Western media reports, Maria married Dutch businessman Jorrit Joost Faassen.

Others who were sanctioned

Sanctions announced Wednesday also include the daughter and wife of Russian foreign affairs minister Sergei Lavrov. The US has also banned Americans from investing in Russia, and targeted Russian financial institutions and Kremlin officials, in response to what President Joe Biden condemned as Russian "atrocities" in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia has vehemently denied intentionally attacking civilians and said that the shocking images of bodies in Bucha were staged to justify more sanctions against Moscow.

(With inputs from Reuters)