Who are Putin's two daughters, where do they work, why did America punish them, and what did the Russian president comment?!
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Little is known publicly about the two daughters of Vladimir Putin, who were sanctioned by the US government on Wednesday over "atrocities in Ukraine" that Moscow is accused of perpetrating, given that the Russian president's wealth is distributed among his family's assets and property.
The US Treasury has identified Putin's two daughters as Katerina Tikhonova, a "technologist whose work supports her ... the Russian defense industry," and Maria Vorontsova, who directs genetic research programs funded by the Russian state and "personally supervised by Putin."
A senior US official told AFP that Washington believes that "Putin's assets are hidden with members of his family."
According to Putin's biography published on the Kremlin's official website, his daughter Maria was born in 1985 before the family moved to Dresden, Germany, where Putin worked as a KGB agent.
His second daughter, Katrina, was born the following year in Dresden.
In the only confirmed photo of them, Putin's two daughters are shown with blonde braids.
In rare statements about them over the years, Putin revealed that his two daughters continued their university studies in Russia, and they are fluent in several European languages and live in Russia.
And Putin also has grandchildren.
Much more is known about the Putin family in public, as the Kremlin has long kept the president's family out of the public eye.
Russian media reports indicate that Maria Vorontsova is an endocrinologist working for a scientific research company focused on finding a cure for cancer, and this company is linked to the Russian government.
As for Katerina Tikhonova, she is a mathematician, according to Russian media, and runs the Science and Technology Foundation of the most important public university in Russia.
Tikhonova is also a professional rock 'n' roll dancer and has reportedly participated in prestigious international competitions.
Videos from these competitions show Tikhonova wearing flashy costumes, trampling on her partner's hands and flying through the air.
During a press conference in 2019, Putin refused to answer directly a question about his daughters' growing business influence and their ties to the government, and never acknowledged that Vorontsova and Tikhonova were his daughters, referring to them simply as "two women."
"I am proud of them," Putin said at a press conference years ago. "They continue to study and work."
"They are not involved in any business and they are not involved in politics. They are not trying to make their way anywhere," he added.
In an interview in 2020, Putin said he did not want to share any information about his family "for security reasons".
He revealed that he has grandchildren, but did not specify their number.
He said, "I have grandchildren, I'm happy. They are very good, very cute. I really enjoy spending time with them."
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