UK punishes former ‘mistress’ of gymnast Putin in attack on Russian President’s ‘shady football team’

Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic rhythmic gymnast believed to have had several children with Vladimir Putin, has been branded by the UK as a member of Putin’s personal ‘wallet’

Britain today punished Vladimir Putin’s rumored lover in a new wave of attacks against the Russian leader’s “shady team”.

Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic rhythmic gymnast who is said to have had many children with the President, is seen as part of Putin’s “wallet”, who has amassed a fortune worth billions support the President.

Putin’s ex-wife and three cousins ​​are also among 12 so-called “proxies” of the President who have been hit with a new asset freeze and travel ban due to the Ukraine war.

A British official said: “These are people who deliberately hid to help Putin hide his personal assets.”

The State Department said a “group” of the President’s family and friends finance Putin’s lifestyle despite his modest official possessions – including an apartment in St Petersburg, two Soviet-era cars. Bucket from the 1950s, a trailer and a small garage.

A UK official said Putin has “unofficially amassed a huge fortune” including a £566m yacht and £1bn ‘Putin’s Palace’ on the planet. Black Sea coast.

The State Department said Ms Kabaeva was “rumored to be Putin’s current partner” and that “it has been reported that he has been trying to reduce her visibility since the invasion began.

“For example, a few weeks after the invasion, the National Communications Corporation’s website was updated to remove her name, along with any references to the Board of Directors.”

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the 2004 Athens gold medalist, 39, is engaged to the Russian leader and has a child with him.

A UK official said the National Media Group, of which she chairs its board, leads “quite frankly that is some of the worst propaganda establishment in Russia at the moment”.

The official added that she was a “very important figure” in the sanctioned Rossiya Bank, which owns more than a third of the National Communications Corporation, indicating a “clear connection between her and Putin”.

Kabaeva’s grandmother Anna Zatseplina – who is said to have received a luxury apartment in Moscow from the sanctioned financier Gennady Timchenko – was also sanctioned by the UK today.

And Putin’s ex-wife is Lyudmila Ocheretnaya – who was the First Lady of the Russian Federation before they divorced in 2014.

The State Department said Putin’s ex-wife “has benefited from favorable business relationships with state-owned entities and exhibits significant inexplicable wealth.

“Ocheretnaya is a close associate of Putin and derives financial or material benefit from this association.”

A British official said Putin’s first cousin ever eliminated, Mikhail Shelomov, had a publicly listed job with a salary of $8,500 but is believed to have acquired a fortune of $600 million.

“We are exposing and targeting the shady network that supports Putin’s lavish lifestyle and strengthens his inner ties,” Foreign Minister Liz Truss said.

“We will continue to impose sanctions on all those who support and abet Putin’s aggression until Ukraine prevails.”

The sanctions list has grown to more than 1,000 individuals and 100 organizations.

A UK official defended the speed of sanctioning the new group of people, saying they “have been trying to hide their light under a bushel for years” and “it takes you time to build the cases”. his own against them”.

The official also said sanctions were starting to take effect, with Russia suffering a “major crash and “worst recession since the end of the Cold War”, with sales Vehicles are down 80% and some weapons manufacturers stop production.

The official warned that ending dependence on Russian energy “must be a one-way street” – to “remove that leverage, frankly, for good”.