The US Treasury Department has followed Britain and the European Union in imposing sanctions on gymnast Alina Kabaeva, who is believed to be Vladimir Putin's mistress and the mother of his three children. Personal sanctions were imposed on another twelve people: Putin's oligarchs, propagandists, and representatives of occupation authorities in Ukraine. On the same day, the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on 893 Russian officials and military personnel responsible for the invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions against Kabaeva were motivated by the fact that she "has a close relationship" with Putin and heads the National Media Group. It includes Channel One, 5TV, REN TV, Izvestia newspaper, and other pro-government propaganda media outlets. Kabaeva was a State Duma deputy and has already been subject to EU and British sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) noted.
Kabaeva is referred to as Putin's mistress. The Wall Street Journal wrote that they have at least three common children. The Kremlin would neither confirm nor deny these reports.
Kabaeva was blacklisted by the UK back in May. In early June, the European Union joined the sanctions. The EU motivated the decision by stating that Kabaeva was "closely associated" with the Russian president and "responsible for supporting actions and policies which undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." Sanctions against Kabaeva were discussed in the United States back in the spring, but the country's National Security Council decided not to impose them out of fear of angering Putin, according to the sources of The Wall Street Journal.
The new sanctions list also includes six Russian billionaires and supporters of Putin. These are Viktor Rashnikov, owner of the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK); Dmitry Pumpyansky, founder of the Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK); Andrey Melnichenko, founder of Eurochem and SUEK; Alexander Ponomarenko, co-owner of Sheremetyevo Airport; and father and son Andrey Guriev, co-owners of Phosagro.
In addition, four representatives of the Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine were blacklisted: Konstantin Ivashchenko, who was appointed head of Mariupol, Sergey Eliseev, chairman of the government of Kherson Oblast, Vladimir Saldo, head of the Kherson Military and Civil Administration, and his deputy Kirill Stremousov.
Natalia Popova (wife of Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund) and Anton Urusov (CEO of Perspective Industrial and Infrastructure Technologies) also fell under sanctions. The sanctions also affected about 30 legal entities, including the Skolkovo Foundation and the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK).
As Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen noted, “As innocent people suffer from Russia’s illegal war of aggression, Putin’s allies have enriched themselves and funded opulent lifestyles."
"The Treasury Department will use every tool at our disposal to make sure that Russian elites and the Kremlin’s enablers are held accountable for their complicity in a war that has cost countless lives," she added.
The U.S. also imposed visa restrictions on 893 Russian officials. Among them are members of the Federation Council and the military, who violated the sovereignty, independence and integrity of Ukraine. The ban also affected 31 foreign officials who supported the war. The full name list of those affected by the restrictions has not yet been published.
"The United States will not waver in its support for the brave people of Ukraine and will continue to promote accountability for President Putin and his cronies whose actions have caused so much suffering and destruction in Ukraine." US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated.