The Anti-Corruption Foundation has asked the European Union leadership and the Spanish government to impose sanctions against athlete Yelena Isinbayeva, a longtime supporter of Vladimir Putin. We also asked the European Union to impose sanctions against former Defense Ministry employee Maria Kitayeva. Moreover, we asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to conduct an additional review of Isinbayeva's activities and expel her from the committee.
Isinbayeva is an outstanding athlete known around the world. She has used her authority for many years to support Vladimir Putin. She has been his proxy in presidential elections several times, was promoted to the rank of mayor in the Russian army, and was a member of Putin's Putin Team, an association of athletes who are Putin's supporters. Isinbayeva helped Putin change the Russian Constitution, which allowed him to remain in power forever. After the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine, the athlete moved to Spain, where she received a residence permit. We have an investigation about her luxurious real estate in Spain.
The IOC Ethics Commission checked Isinbayeva's activities, but found no reason to expel her from the committee. It concluded that after February 24, 2022, the athlete had no connections with the Russian army and did not support the war in Ukraine. The committee did not take into account that for another year and a half after the start of the war Isinbayeva was part of the leadership of the pro-Putin organization All-Russia People's Front, which raises money for the army. Isinbayeva never publicly condemned the aggression, even though she was outside Russia and her security was not threatened. All this is a direct reason to exclude Isinbayeva from the committee.
Maria Kitaeva, a propagandist, worked for pro-government channels, interviewed Putin and participated in his Direct Lines. She later became an advisor to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and was promoted to the rank of third class state advisor, which corresponds to the rank of General Major, and received the medal "For the Return of Crimea". For many years she was in a relationship with Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Sadovenko, they had three children together. Since 2022, she has been in an informal marriage with another Deputy minister, Timur Ivanov. He supervises all military building projects, including building in the occupied regions of Ukraine. Even after the start of the war, Kitaeva continues to lead a lavish lifestyle: she travels to Europe, spends on expensive gifts and attends social events. Details about this are in our recent investigation.
The stories of Isinbayeva and Kitayeva directly show that working for Putin's regime has no consequences for its supporters and does not interfere with their happy lives in Europe. We are sure that sanctions should be imposed against them, their visas and residence permits canceled, and their European assets seized. Their example clearly demonstrates the imperfection of the European sanctions policy, which allows Putin's elite to hide in Europe. Whatever their contribution to the building of an authoritarian regime is, once they formally step aside, they can quietly go to Europe and start a "new life" there.
This must be stopped. Putin's supporters should realize that their crimes will not be forgotten. Supporting the regime, no matter in the past or in the present, threatens to have consequences for their peaceful European future, on which they count so much.