In a move that is perhaps more symbolic than a change of game, the EU and Joe Biden have turned their attention to the Putin family, especially his adult daughters, whose lives have so far been shrouded in mystery. Unlike his former supporter and political counterpart Donald Trump, Putin has worked hard to keep his descendants off the world stage, never admitting their existence other than what he said to director Oliver Stone in a 2017 interview. that “they are not interested in business or politics. ” So who are Katerina and Maria and how could the sanctions affect them? On the surface, both daughters of the strong Russian man have lived seemingly “normal” lives. Although their whereabouts are currently unknown, both girls studied in the German city of Dresden, where Putin was working for the KGB, and have excelled in their chosen professions. Katerina is a Pediatric Endocrinologist with an interest in dwarfism and Maria is the head of the AI Institute of Moscow State University. Despite their work, Putin’s daughters and ex-wife and former flight attendant Ludmila Putina have undoubtedly benefited from their presidential relationship. After completing their secondary education at the German School in Moscow, both girls went on to study at St. Petersburg State University under false names, where Rector Lyudmila Verbitskaya is a close personal friend of Putin. Maria studied biology before graduating with a degree in medicine from Moscow State University. Katerina’s younger sister studied Japanese history before completing her Masters in Mathematics and Physics also from the State of Moscow. Katerina Tikhonova / Bloomberg via Getty Images But their life is not all work and play, during her studies Katerina developed a passion for acrobatic rock and roll, an unusual form of dance that includes acrobatics and gymnastics. He even went on to compete in several competitions, including the 2013 World Championships, where he finished fifth. Conveniently, after Katerina got involved in the sport, the municipal government funded the construction of a state-of-the-art ’24 million rock’n’roll acrobatic center in Moscow with a helipad and swimming pool. Speaking to Reuters about the project, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov denied any government involvement, saying it “has nothing to do with us.” Since the days of Tumba, Katerina has given up her body for more brainstorming, finding work as director of Innpraktika, a $ 1.7 billion project to set up a science center at Moscow State University, before being appointed head of the institute. AI of the university in 2020. Meanwhile, Maria completed her doctorate in endocrinology at Moscow State University and is a co-owner of a Russian private health investment company called Nomenko. But it is not just their careers that have gone swimming. Both daughters proceeded to profitable marriages. Maria married Dutch businessman Jorrit Faassen in 2013, living with him in a penthouse in Voorschoten in the West Holland, before returning to Moscow in 2014. The couple were expelled from the Netherlands after Dutch residents demanded their deportation after the Malaysia Airlines crash. flight MH17, which killed several Dutch residents and was widely suspected of being the work of the Kremlin. Faassen, who now works for Russian energy company Gazprom, seems to have thanked his powerful father-in-law. During a driving accident in Moscow in 2010, Fassen got into a fight with Russian banker Matvei Urin, who, unaware of his relationship with Putin, ordered his bodyguards to beat Dutch businessmen. Shortly after the incident, Urin was arrested and jailed for six years, with his six banks declared bankrupt. Katerina, on the other hand, married the billionaire son of one of Putin’s close friends, Kirill Shamalov. The 2013 community wedding took place at the Russian ski resort of Igora, with attendees swearing in secrecy. A year after the wedding, Putin’s great friend and Katerina’s new father-in-law, Nikolai Samalov, received a 17% stake in Russia’s largest petrochemical company, Sibur.
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Although Katerina and Shamalov jr. Divorced in 2018, according to Bloomberg, the couple is worth about $ 2 billion and their common assets include a 8 2.8 million holiday home in Biarritz, which was occupied by pro-Ukrainian squatters after the Russian invasion. The possible sanctions on Putin’s daughters come after the EU and the UK froze the assets of several other Russian oligarchs last month, including notorious Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and Andrei Kostin, the president of the Russian bank. VTB and Putin’s right. handman Igor Sechin. However, the sanctions gained new momentum this week, after the bodies of more than 300 civilians were found shot at close range in a mass grave in Boutsa. Zelensky, meanwhile, has repeatedly called on the EU and the United States to impose a general ban on Russian oil and coal, stressing that “no indecision can be tolerated” by the West.
