The UK sanctioned Polina Kovaleva, stepdaughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who owns a luxury £4 million ($5 million) property in London.
The blacklisting was announced Thursday by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss as part of a range of new sanctions targeting Russian elites, banks and businesses.
The announcement confirms reporting by Maria Pevchikh, an investigator at jailed Russian opposition leader Alexander Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.
In a recent Twitter thread said that Lavrov had a second family, and that his stepdaughter, Kovaleva, enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in the West.
I would like you to meet Polina Kovaleva. Polina is a 26-year-old glamorous Russian girl from London🇬🇧. She lives in a huge apartment in Kensington and loves to party, her instagram feed looks like a non-stop holiday. That’s not unheard of, but there is one small detail…(THREAD) pic.twitter.com/6OsVGjPxQQ
— Maria Pevchikh (@pevchikh) March 10, 2022
Kovaleva, 26, owns a lavish apartment in Kensington, one of the most expensive parts of London.
Per Pevchikh, she is reportedly the daughter of Svetlana Polyakova, 51, Lavrov's longterm partner. UK property records show that Kovaleva bought the Kensington property with no mortgage in 2016, aged 21.
The UK Foreign Office said its sanctioning "sends a strong signal that those benefiting from association of those responsible for Russian aggression are in scope of our sanctions."
The sanctions mean that Kovaleva's assets in the UK have been frozen, and she is banned from travelling to the UK.
UK lawmakers had called for Kovaleva to be sanctioned ahead of the announcement, reported The Guardian.
Lavrov is a longtime member of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, and has fiercely defended Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. He has already been sanctioned by the US and other Western countries.
Sanctioning the children and other family members of top Russian officials has been a striking feature of the response to the war in Ukraine, apparently designed to make sure the measures take a personal toll on decision-makers. They may also be meant to stop sanctions evasion by allowing people to access assets held by family members.
On March 11, the US sanctioned Elizaveta Peskova, the daughter of Putin Dmitry Peskov. Peskova in an interview with Insider said the sanctions had ruined her travel plans and called them "totally unfair and unfounded."
Latest Stories
-
NAPO commissions library to honour Atta-Mills’ memory
35 seconds -
OmniBSIC Bank champions health and wellness with thriving community walk
2 mins -
Kora Wearables unveils Neo: The Ultimate Smartwatch for Ghana’s tech-savvy and health-conscious users
6 mins -
NDC supports Dampare’s ‘no guns at polling stations’ directive
9 mins -
Police officer interdicted after video of assault goes viral
27 mins -
KNUST’s Prof. Reginald Annan named first African recipient of World Cancer Research Fund
28 mins -
George Twum-Barimah-Adu pledges inclusive cabinet with Minority and Majority leaders
1 hour -
Labourer jailed 5 years for inflicting cutlass wounds on businessman
1 hour -
Parliament urged to fast-track passage of Road Traffic Amendment Bill
1 hour -
Mr Daniel Kofi Asante aka Electrician
1 hour -
Minerals Commission, Solidaridad unveils forum to tackle child labour in mining sector
1 hour -
Election 2024: Engagement with security services productive – NDC
1 hour -
Retain NPP for the good of Ghana – Rebecca Akufo-Addo
1 hour -
‘Let’s work together to improve sanitation, promote health outcome’ – Sector Minister urges
1 hour -
Ellembelle MP cuts sod for six-unit classroom block at Nkroful Agric SHS
1 hour