Russian foreign minister’s stepdaughter who lives in £4m Kensington flat is sanctioned by UK
Russia’s foreign minister’s stepdaughter, who lives in a £4m flat in Kensington, has been added to Britain’s sanctions list.
The Instagram influencer and socialite Polina Kovaleva is the latest target of Britain’s campaign against Kremlin-linked individuals, as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its second month.
Kovaleva, 26, who was privately educated, has documented her lavish and jet-setting lifestyle on social media, according to the Times.
In a statement from the foreign office, Liz Truss also announced that the value of seized assets now totals £500bn, with £150bn of that being linked to family members of those with ties to the Kremlin.
The step-daughter of Sergey Lavrov, Kovaleva, included in the latest cohort of measures, targeting 65 Russian oligarchs, organisations and companies – including family members of those with ties to Moscow.
Top Russian officials were warned by the UK this week that “sanctions are partly about sending a signal that there is nowhere to hide,” including to family members.
Other sanctioned groups include The Wagner Group, a reported Moscow-linked paramilitary group, which has been accused of trying to assassinate Vlodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president.
Alrosa, the £4.7bn mining company has been targeted, while Liz Truss, the foreign secretary said Britain will continue “tightening the screw on the Russian economy”.
In a statement on Thursday, the foreign secretary said: “These oligarchs, businesses and hired thugs are complicit in the murder of innocent civilians and it is right that they pay the price.
This will bring “total global asset value of the banks the UK has sanctioned since the invasion to £500bn and the net worth of the oligarchs and family members in excess of £150bn.”