Vladimir Putin, his wife Lyudmila (Right) and daughter Maria (Second Left) in 2007. (AFP Archive)The latest sanctions announced by the United States against Russia for launching Ukraine invasion include the two adult daughters on President Vladimir Putin. The measures are aimed to put pressure on Russia’s economy and its elite.”These individuals have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people. Some of them are responsible for providing the support necessary to underpin Putin’s war on Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement.The two women – Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova – are believed to be the children of Mr Putin and his ex-wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva, a former flight attendant. The two got divorced in 2013.Very little is known about the two adult daughters of the Russian leader. He himself has been rarely pictured with both of them.According to Bloomberg, Mr Putin’s elder daughter Vorontsova is a co-owner of Nomenko, which is involved in Russia’s largely private investment project in healthcare. Tikhonova is a former competitive dancer, who now runs an artificial intelligence institute at Moscow State University, the Bloomberg report further said.Putin’s daughter Katerina (L) dances during the World Cup Rock’n’Roll Acrobatic Competition. (Reuters)Bloomberg further said that in 2015, the Russian President disclosed a few details about his daughters, including that they graduated from Russian universities and speak multiple languages.The website of Kremlin says that Vorontsova was born in 1985, and Tikhonova a year later.The Wall Street Journal carried Mr Putin’s quote from a 2015 press conference, where he said, “To talk about where exactly my daughters work and what they do – I have never done this and am not going to do it now, for many reasons, including security issues.”“They just live their lives and do it with dignity,” he added.In a 2014 interview to state-run TASS news agency, Mr Putin said, “I have a packed work schedule. Even my daughters I only see once or twice a month, and then I need to pick my moment.”There are reports about Putin’s other children as well. Recently, a petition was launched on change.org, which demanded Switzerland to expel former Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva. She is believed to be hiding with her three children in a luxury villa.Other prominent Russians sanctioned by the US include the wife and daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and current Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
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