Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughters are allegedly included in the list of individuals that the European Union is planning to sanction to ban investments that would benefit Moscow amid the war on Ukraine.
EU officials are reportedly discussing potentially imposing sanctions on the Moscow leader's two daughters, Katerina Tikhonova and Mariya Vorontsova, said people familiar with the matter. The issue comes as the region continues to respond to the killings of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha.
Putin's Daughters
The alleged list still needs the approval of European governments and could get an overhaul on who is included. It also writes down dozens of other individuals, such as political figures, tycoons and their family members, and several propagandists.
The move to sanction Putin's daughters is largely seen as a symbolic move because it remains unclear whether or not they have significant assets outside of Russia. However, the list was also designed to get the Russian president's attention. Katerina and Mariya's lives have largely been kept a secret and the Kremlin has never confirmed the names or released photographs of the two as adults, as per Time.
The planned measures will expectedly include the freezing of assets and a ban on international travel.
The situation comes as Vorontsova is known to co-own a healthcare investment project while her sister, Tikhonova, runs an artificial intelligence institute at Moscow State University. Furthermore, the EU is expected to impose a ban on coal imports that is worth roughly $4.3 billion.
According to the Telegraph, the decision is the first time that the European Commission will impose sanctions on Russia's energy sector since the start of Moscow's war on Ukraine. Authorities said that they were working on more sanctions that would target oil, but they noted that there were no plans to hit more significant gas imports.
EU Sanctions on Russia
The EU imposed the new sanctions after allegations of "genocide" in Bucha, Ukraine, where dead bodies have littered the streets as Russian soldiers fled from the area. The new measures also include a ban on Russian imports, including cement, liquor, vodka, and caviar, that are worth roughly $6 million per year.
Furthermore, officials plan to sanction four Russian banks, including the country's second-largest, VTB. In a statement, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the four banks, which have been totally cut off from the markets, represent 23% of the market share in the Russian banking sector.
If all 27 member states approve the new measures, the ban would include Russian vessels and Russian-operated vessels being unable to enter EU ports. Exceptions to this will be essentials such as agricultural and food products and humanitarian aid and energy.
Another export ban will affect roughly $11 billion worth of products, a move that was proposed to include sectors covering quantum computers, advanced semiconductors, sensitive machinery, and transportation equipment. In a statement, von der Leyen said that the new sanctions will aim to degrade Russia's technological base and industrial capacity, Dailymail reported.
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