Vladimir Putin’s daughters have been sanctioned by the UK over the war in Ukraine, the Foreign Office has announced.
Katerina Tikhonova, 35, and Maria Vorontsova, 36, have joined the hundreds of Russians slapped with asset freezes and travel bans, including the President himself.
Britain claimed it would crack down on their “lavish lifestyle”, mirroring sanctions that were imposed on the two women by the US earlier this week.
The EU has also sanctioned the Russian President’s family members.
Also sanctioned is the daughter of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Separately Lavrov’s step-daughter Polina Kovaleva, who reportedly owns a £4 million apartment in Kensington, London, was already sanctioned last month.
A statement from the Foreign Office said: “The lavish lifestyles of the Kremlin’s inner circle will be further targeted from today as the UK sanctions the adult daughters of President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov."
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Our unprecedented package of sanctions is hitting the elite and their families, while degrading the Russian economy on a scale Russia hasn’t seen since the fall of the Soviet Union.
“But we need to do more. Through the G7, we are ending the use of Russian energy and hitting Putin’s ability to fund his illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
“Together, we are tightening the ratchet on Russia’s war machine, cutting off Putin’s sources of cash.”
The UK has now sanctioned more than 1,200 individuals and businesses in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February.
With 76 oligarchs among the sanctioned, the measures are in part designed to apply pressure on the Kremlin to retreat.
But they are also seeking to seal off funds to reduce Putin’s military might, with 16 banks targeted too.
Sanctions across Western allies have meant that £275 billion of Russian foreign currency reserves, representing 60 per cent of its total, are frozen, according to the Foreign Office.
Putin is said to be one of the world’s richest men but it has been long suspected that his fortune his stashed among family members and associates.
His £200 billion fortune come from taking 50 per cent of every rouble made in Russia by the country’s oligarchs.
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