Ukraine war: US sanctions on Putin’s daughters difficult to understand, says Moscow

Failing to understand why Putin's daughters were targeted, Peskov said, "This is something that is difficult to understand and explain. Unfortunately, we have to deal with such opponents."

A day after the US imposed fresh sanctions on Russian banks and President Vladimir's daughters as the war in Ukraine neared two months, the Kremlin described the move as part of a broader Western frenzy against Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.(via REUTERS)

Hitting out at the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "Of course we consider these sanctions in themselves to be the extension of an absolutely rabid position on the imposition of restrictions. In any case, the ongoing line on imposing restrictions against family members speaks for itself.”

Failing to understand why Putin's daughters were targeted, Peskov said, "This is something that is difficult to understand and explain. Unfortunately, we have to deal with such opponents."

Apart from Putin's daughters – Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova – who US officials believe are hiding their father's wealth, the fresh sanctions target Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov's wife and daughter, and members of the country's security council. The sanctions also target Russian banks and include a ban on any US citizen from investing in Russia, including via mergers or capital.

According to reports, Tikhonova is a tech executive whose work supports the Russian government and its defence industry, while Vorontsova leads government-funded programmes that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin toward genetics research, and that are personally overseen by Putin.

Russia announced “special military operations” in Ukraine on February 24 as it sent tens of thousands of troops into the East European country. The West has condemned the invasion of Ukraine and also imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow over the same. While the war continues between Moscow-Kyiv, Ukrainian forces have mounted a stiff resistance against their Russian counterparts.