Putin’s mistress and ex-wife put on sanctions list

THE mistress, ex-wife and family members of Russian president Vladimir Putin have been added to the UK sanctions list as Liz Truss looks to target the “shady network propping up” the leader.

The Foreign Office said Friday’s announcement of further measures would see members of Mr Putin’s close and inner circle hit as the UK Government continues to seek new ways of punishing Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Putin’s official assets are modest, according to the Foreign Office, with his lifestyle “funded by a cabal of family, friends and elites”.

Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, opened the first war crimes trial of the conflict, at a court in Kyiv that will be closely watched by international observers eager to ensure atrocities are fairly prosecuted.

A Russian soldier, Sgt Vadim Shyshimarin, stands accused of killing a Ukrainian civilian in the early days of the war, in the Sumy region. Shyshimarin, a member of a tank unit captured by Ukrainian forces, admitted that he shot a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in a video posted by the Security Service of Ukraine, saying he was ordered to do so.

The trial gets underway as Russia’s campaign in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas makes faltering progress. British officials said Russia lost significant numbers of troops and important equipment when Ukrainian forces thwarted their attempt to cross a river in the east. It is another sign of Moscow’s struggle to win decisive victories and salvage a war gone awry.

Ukrainian news said troops thwarted Russian passage across the Siversky Donets River earlier this week, leaving dozens of tanks or military vehicles damaged or abandoned. Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Friday that Russia lost “significant” elements of at least one battalion tactical group – about 1,000 troops – as well as equipment used to quickly deploy a makeshift floating bridge while trying to cross the river.