UK sanctions Russian President Putin’s daughters

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) - The British government on Friday imposed sanctions on the daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova, the daughters of Putin, and Yekaterina Sergeyevna Vinokurova, the daughter of Lavrov, will face asset and travel bans following the announcement.

“Our unprecedented package of sanctions is hitting the elite and their families, while degrading the Russian economy on a scale Russia hasn’t seen since the fall of the Soviet Union,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

“But we need to do more. Through the G7, we are working with partners to end the use of Russian energy and further hit Putin’s ability to fund his illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” Truss added.

Economic analysis conducted by the government shows that over £275 billion of Putin’s war chest has been frozen by UK and international sanctions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Russia, according to the analysis, is heading toward its deepest recession since the collapse of the Soviet Union 30 years ago with GDP growth this year ranging from -8.5% to -15%. The economy will further shrink in the long term as Moscow becomes increasingly isolated from the international community.

“Together, we are tightening the ratchet on Russia’s war machine, cutting off Putin’s sources of cash,” Truss said.

The Russia-Ukraine war has drawn international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,480 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,195 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.24 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.