Putin’s mistress and ex-wife join list of sanctions targets

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

The Foreign Office said the announcement of further measures would see members of Mr Putin’s close and inner circle hit as the

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”.

Foreign Secretary Ms Truss said: “We are exposing and targeting the shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle and tightening the vice on his inner

circle. We will keep going with sanctions on all those aiding and abetting Putin’s aggression until Ukraine prevails.”

One of the most high-profile figures on the list is Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic gymnast who is widely reported to be Mr Putin’s mistress.

A British official described her as having a “close personal relationship” with the former KGB officer.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the 2004 Athens gold medallist has been engaged to the Russian leader and has had his children.

Official records list the Kremlin leader’s assets as being fairly unnoteworthy, including a small flat in St Petersburg, two Sovietera cars from the 1950s, a trailer and a small garage.

ButUKaidessaidthatinreality the 69-year-old relies on his “wallet” of family and childhood friends, along with a hand-picked set of elites, who have benefited from his rule and in turn support his lifestyle.

The reward for such people is influence over the affairs of the Russian state that goes far beyond their formal positions, the Foreign Office said.

Despite officially owning few assets, Mr Putin is said to have displayed a lavish lifestyle, with the Whitehall department pointing to reports exposing links to a £566m yacht and a $1bn “Putin palace” on the Black Sea coast – officially owned by close associate Arkady Rotenberg.

Those newly placed on the sanctions list, which has frozen the assets and placed UK travel bans on more than 1,000 individuals and 100 entities, include the ex-wife of Mr Putin, Lyudmila Ocheretnaya.