Vladimir Putin’s rumored girlfriend Alina Kabaeva hit with sanctions from UK
Alina Kabaeva, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rumored mistress and mother of several of his alleged children, was hit by sanctions imposed by the UK government on Friday.
Kabaeva — an Olympic champion gymnast who has been romantically linked to Putin since at least 2008 — was named among several members of Putin’s inner circle being targeted by the British Foreign Office.
“Today’s sanctions will hit this cabal who owe Putin their wealth and power, and in turn support Putin and his war machine,” the British government said in a release.
The sanctions, which include travel restrictions and asset freezes, are intended to put pressure on Russia to end its 11-week war in Ukraine.
Kabaeva has risen to become chair of the board of the National Media Group, reportedly the largest private Russian media company, where she was rumored to have earned a salary of $10 million annually. She previously sat as a deputy in the Russian state assembly, the Duma, for Putin’s United Russia party.
Kabaeva’s grandmother, Anna Zatseplina, is also being subjected to the punishing measures.
“We are exposing and targeting the shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle and tightening the vice on his inner circle,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement. “We will keep going with sanctions on all those aiding and abetting Putin’s aggression until Ukraine prevails.”
Britain, together with Western allies, has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian oligarchs as well as industrial and financial firms.
Among the 12 new names added to the UK sanctions list Friday were Putin’s relatives holding high-ranking positions at major Russian outfits like Gazprom.
The Foreign Office claimed that Putin has been relying on his network of family, childhood friends and allies to act as his de facto “wallet” and support his lavish lifestyle.
According to official records, Putin’s list of assets is shockingly “modest” and includes a small apartment in St. Petersburg, two Soviet-era cars from the 1950s, a trailer and a garage.
But British officials said that in reality, the former KGB spymaster has amassed colossal wealth, with reports tying him to a $700 million superyacht and a palace on the Black Sea worth an estimated $1.4 billion, which was formally owned by his associate Arkady Rotenberg.
Putin and Kabaeva never confirmed their relationship, although sources familiar with the matter previously told Page Six that the pair share 7-year-old twin daughters and two sons.
Earlier this week, a report by the General SVT Telegram channel claimed that Kabaeva was pregnant with her fifth child with Putin.
The report, which began circulating Monday, could not be independently confirmed.
Kabaeva has largely been out of the public eye since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Last month, she made a surprise appearance at a junior rhythmic gymnastics festival in Moscow.
