Vladimir Putin ’s veteran foreign minister was left in the dark over the Kremlin leader’s decision to embark on a full-scale war against Ukraine, says the top diplomat’s own daughter.
Sergey Lavrov, 72, has appeared to be the hawkish frontman for Russia ’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
But it is claimed he was blindsided - and “shocked” - by Putin’s decision.
Until shortly before the war, Lavrov and his foreign ministry were denying claims there would be a full invasion as Western propaganda.
But investigative journalist and Russian expert Christo Grozev said he has a source close to Lavrov’s daughter who said he was unaware of Putin’s real agenda.
"A source who quite closely knows - well, I’ll say openly [Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov’s daughter - heard exactly that from her,” he said.
“That Lavrov himself didn’t believe it until the end.
"He thought it was all war threats.”
He believed that Putin would “only” seek to grab the DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic] and LPR [Luhansk People’s Republic.
“He was shocked when he realised it would be a real war.”
Grozev was believed to be referring to US-born Ekaterina Lavrova, 40, the foreign minister’s daughter, rather than his “stepdaughter” Polina Kovaleva, 26, when he spoke in a broadcast to Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon.
Lavrova, married to retail tycoon Alexander Vinokurov, 39, has been sanctioned by the US.
She graduated from Columbia College in 2005 before studying for a Masters Degree at the London School of Economics.
Kovaleva was sanctioned by Britain over a £4.4 million luxury apartment in London which she bought at the age of 21.
She studied at Imperial College Business School in London.
Her mother is Svetlana Polyakova, seen as Lavrov’s long term mistress.
Lavrova’s mother Maria, the foreign minister’s wife, was also sanctioned by the West.
The Mirror told how Russian sate TV is at war urged Vladimir Putin to aim hypersonic missiles at the UK, it chillingly told its viewers earlier this month.
This comes as former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev - a close ally of Vladimir Putin - suggested Ukraine would no exist on the world map in two years time.
Russian political scientist Vladimir Kornilov said on a leading Russian propaganda show that the death of British volunteer fighter Jordan Gatley in Ukraine - announced this week - was proof the UK’s army was involved in fighting against Putin’s forces.
“I read his father's Facebook post, his father's grief, understandably. He lost his son,” said Kornilov.
“But he writes there that he served in the British Army until March this year, and then he decided - this is very important - to continue serving in other regions.
“So he didn't even consider it as leaving. As I understand it, he didn't leave.
