UK imposes sanctions on Putin's de facto wife Kabaeva and family

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Alina Kabaeva, who is considered the de facto wife of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as other relatives of his, the website of the British government states.

It is said that such sanctions increase the pressure on Putin and his immediate entourage, in particular on his "wallet" and family members.

According to the declarations, Putin allegedly owns only a small apartment in St. Petersburg, two Soviet cars, a trailer and a garage. But it is widely known that his luxurious life is financed by family, childhood friends and the chosen elite.

"We are exposing and targeting the shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle and tightening the vice on his inner circle. We will keep going with sanctions on all those aiding and abetting Putin’s aggression until Ukraine prevails," said British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

The new additions to the sanctions list include:

• Alina Kabaeva, former gymnast. She is the chair of the board of directors of the National Media Group, Russia's largest private Russian media company. She probably has a close personal relationship with Putin, having previously been a State Duma deputy from Putin's party.
• Anna Zatseplina, Alina Kabaeva's grandmother, and an ally of Gennady Tymchenko, a longtime ally of Putin.
• Lyudmila Ocheretnaya, Putin's ex-wife. After her divorce in 2014, she benefited from business relationships with government agencies.
• Igor Putin, the president's cousin and Russian businessman. He is the director of the Pechenga International Sea Port.
• Mikhail Putin, Russian businessman and relative of the president. He is Deputy Chairman of the Board of SOGAZ Insurance and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprom.
• Roman Putin, the president's cousin. He openly declares his relationship with Putin and emphasizes that this family connection has allowed his company Putin Consulting to work with foreign investors.
• Mikhail Shelomov, a businessman and Putin's first cousin, once removed. Shelomov's company is related to Putin's famous palace and is also a shareholder in the Kremlin-linked Rossiya Bank.
• Alexander Plekhov, a close friend of Putin. He dew benefits from his relationship with the president, and his Vital Development Corporation benefited from significant state patronage.

Sanctions against Kabaeva

Bloomberg previously reported that the European Union had also proposed sanctions against Alina Kabaeva, a former gymnast who heads Russia's National Media Group and is closely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier, sanctions were imposed on both Putin and his two daughters from his ex-wife.

In turn, the Kremlin has repeatedly denied that Putin is in a relationship with Kabaeva or has children from her.

Also last month, The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed US officials as saying that the United States had postponed sanctions against Kabaeva for fear it could escalate tensions with Putin.