World

US Sanctions Putin's Reputed Girlfriend

JUN 2 2022·Updated AUG 9 2022

Story

Image credit: ITAR-TASS [via Financial Times]

The Facts

On Tues., the US Treasury Dept. imposed a new round of sanctions on members of Kremlin-linked elites, including Alina Maratovna Kabaeva, a former Olympic athlete and MP who is reportedly the girlfriend of Russia's Pres. Putin.
www.ft.com
She's among 13 Russian nationals recently added to the sanctions list as the US targets Russian officials and companies over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
wapo
The move has been under consideration at least since Apr., when the WSJ reported the US's concern that such sanctions could fuel tensions with the Kremlin. Kabaeva, who is currently the head of the National Media Group, a pro-Kremlin company, has previously been sanctioned by the EU and the UK.
CNN
While Putin has long denied any affair with Kabaeva, US intelligence claims that she is mother of at least three of his children. She and her children currently reside in Switzerland.
Forbes
Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev, owner of the second-largest estate in London, and close associate of Putin, was also sanctioned on Tuesday. His assets under US jurisdictions have been frozen and US businesses banned from conducting transactions with them. His $120M yacht Alfa Nero was also blacklisted.
The Moscow Times
Other oligarchs were targeted, including Guryev's son and Viktor Filippovich Rashnikov, chairman of the MMK steel manufacturer. The State Dept. also reported that 893 Russian officials will have their visas blocked as part of the sanctions.
The Times of Israel

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The only way to make Putin halt the invasion of Ukraine is to squeeze members of his inner circle. Harsh sanctions will at very least force him to the table over the situation in Ukraine.

Business Insider

Establishment-critical narrative

Western sanctions on Putin's inner circle won't work. They only expose how little the West understands about the relation between the Kremlin and the so-called "Russian oligarchs." Only sanctions that effectively weaken the Russian economy will force Putin to reevaluate the war in Ukraine.

The Guardian