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Alina Kabaeva and Vladimir Putin during an event PHOTO: Reuters
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Hundreds of thousands have left Russia since the start of the war
The EU is likely to impose sanctions on Alina Kabayeva, considered the woman next to Vladimir Putin. Her name is likely to be added to the list of the 6th package of sanctions against Russia, which Brussels is still discussing. The strike against the former gymnast comes amid reports that many Russian oligarchs have fled to Dubai to save their fortunes from punitive measures, the BBC reported.
Brussels justified its decision on sanctions by saying that Kabayeva is chairing the board of directors of the National Media Group (NMG), which holds large stakes in almost all Russian federal media outlets accused of reproducing propaganda in the service of the Russian government. The 38-year-old woman is a former rhythmic gymnast and Olympic medalist. After the end of her sports career she worked in the State Duma as an MP.
According to various publications, Kabayeva has at least 3 children from Putin, but he has not officially recognized them. His other two daughters, Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova and Ekaterina Vladimirovna Tikhonova, are already subject to EU sanctions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the United States planned to sanction Alina Kabayeva in late April, but gave up at the last minute. U.S. intelligence sources revealed to the newspaper that a secret report made during an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was
pointed out Kabayeva as beneficiary of the personal Putin’s wealth
However, then the government decided not to sanction it, so as not to consider the actions of a personal blow against the Kremlin boss, which would have a negative impact on peace talks.
At the same time, Dubai has become a haven for Russia’s wealthy fugitives from Western sanctions. According to the information, an unprecedented number of billionaire businessmen and entrepreneurs from Russia are leaving their homeland and arriving in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Purchases of property from Russians in Dubai increased by 67% in the first quarter of 2022 alone, according to a new report. The UAE has not imposed sanctions on Moscow and has not criticized its invasion of Ukraine. In addition, the country grants visas to unauthorized persons, while many Western countries have quickly restricted them.
Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have left Russia in the past two months, but exact figures are not available. According to a Russian economist, about 200,000 people left the former Soviet republic in the first 10 days of the war alone.
“The Russians who come are not just buying for investment,
they look at Dubai as in a second home “,
announced the Dubai Real Estate Agency.
Russia’s sixth-richest oligarch, Alisher Usmanov, filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice on April 29, asking the union’s second-largest tribunal to suspend harsh sanctions on the invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported. The court is yet to rule on the case.
Usmanov’s case is part of a growing number of appeals to the Luxembourg court since the first round of sanctions was announced on February 28th. However, such cases usually drag on for years and rarely lead to appeals winning.
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