Topline
The European Union is considering sanctioning two daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing unnamed sources, adding them to a list of hundreds of Russian oligarchs and political figures that have been hit with penalties in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference
Key Facts
The European Union has proposed sanctioning Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, according to Bloomberg, who are daughters Putin had with his first wife, Lyudmila Shkrebneva.
While Putin has released few details about his family members, Vorontsova reportedly co-owns Nomeko, a company involved in building an oncology center outside of St. Petersburg, and Tikhonova leads an artificial intelligence institute at Moscow State University.
EU member states would have to approve any sanctions.
The European Union is also considering sanctioning other Russian politicians, tycoons and their relatives in addition to Putin’s family, with the list still potentially subject to changes, Bloomberg reported.
The proposal comes after the EU on Tuesday announced it would aim to ban Russian coal imports in response to reports of a massacre committed by the Russian military in Bucha, Ukraine, though the move is still subject to approval by EU member states.
Key Background
President Joe Biden on Monday vowed to hit Russia with more sanctions following Ukrainian officials saying that they had discovered the bodies of 410 civilians in Bucha, a suburb outside Kyiv, after Russian soldiers were forced to withdraw from the area. Europe on Tuesday said it would propose other sanctions targeting Russia’s economy in addition to a coal import ban, including banning transactions with four Russian banks and blocking most Russian and Belarusian trucks and ships from entering the EU. Sanctioning Putin’s daughters could amount to a largely symbolic move to garner Putin’s attention, as the two aren’t believed to hold a large amount of assets outside of Russia, according to Bloomberg.
Further Reading
EU Proposes First Energy Ban Against Kremlin, Halting Russian Coal Imports (Forbes)
EU Planning to Sanction Two of Putin’s Daughters in Latest Round of Restrictions (Wall Street Journal)
Putin’s Daughters Risk EU Sanctions Amid Outrage Over Ukraine (Bloomberg)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/04/05/putins-daughters-reportedly-may-be-hit-with-eu-sanctions-after-bucha-massacre/