Irish Daily Mirror

PUTIN TAKES €110M HIT TO HIS FORTUNE Sanctions cost Pres.. and more to come

- BY CHRIS HUGHES Defence & Security Editor & ADAM ASPINALL c.hughes@mirror.co.uk

CRIPPLING internatio­nal sanctions have personally cost Vladimir Putin more than €110million.

The Russian President is thought to be worth €174billion, much of it hidden offshore and in accomplice­s’ accounts.

But now the British Government is set to impose even more devastatin­g sanctions on Putin, targeting his henchmen and business interests.

The President has long been suspected of grabbing a huge percentage of any business deal coming into Russia and hiding the money in friends’ accounts. A former British intelligen­ce officer told the Mirror: “The way to get to Putin is to target the movement of his friends and associates, as they love travel across Europe.

“If they cannot access their fortunes, that is the way to get their attention. They are holding him up, supporting him, some of them protecting his money for him.

“If you cut access to his money and their money, his supporters will see their support for him is costing too much and it will dwindle. That is how to make him vulnerable.” Yesterday, it was also revealed Putin’s hackers, who were caught red-handed in The Netherland­s, inadverten­tly outed more than 300 other agents because they used their own names on their passports and a driving licence.

Investigat­ors have been able to identify 305 other members of the 26165 unit accused of hacking targets all over world. Experts say the latest revelation­s will only worsen already poor relations with the West.

Prof Malcolm Chalmers, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said: “Uk-russia relations are at the lowest point they have been since the end of the Cold War.”

■ Council chiefs have hired a PR firm to improve the image of Salisbury, Wilts, after the novichok attacks hit visitor numbers.

 ??  ?? Prof Malcolm Chalmers
Prof Malcolm Chalmers

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