Russia sanctions: Lavrov’s step-daughter Polina Kovaleva targeted by latest UK sanctions

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced a fresh wave of sanctions targeting Russian billionaires and businesses who are understood to be propping up Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The alleged stepdaughter of Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, is one of the latest individuals to be targeted by the UK Government.

Polina Kovaleva, 26, is based in London and reportedly owns a £4 million property in the capital.

Her mother, Svetlana Polyakova, 51, is claimed to have been the mistress of Mr Lavrov, 71, for 20 years.

Targeting her aims to send a strong signal that those benefiting from association of those responsible for Russian aggression are in scope of our sanctions, the Government said.

Sixty-five additional sanctions have been levied on Thursday, just hours after Boris Johnson said the UK could target the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s gold reserves in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The paramilitary Wagner Group – widely regarded as President Putin’s private army – are among those named.

The private military company has reportedly been tasked with tracking down and murdering key Ukrainian leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky.

So far the Wagner Group have failed in this objective and is reported to have taken numerous casualties.

The UK Government has also sanctioned key industries fuelling the invasion.

This includes Russian Railways and the defence company Kronshtadt, the main producer of Russian drones.

Six more banks and the world’s largest diamond producer, Alrosa, also face punitive measures.

Individuals sanctioned include the billionaire oil tycoon Eugene Shvidler, founder of Tinkoff bank, Oleg Tinkov, and Herman Gref, chief executive of Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank.

Galina Danilchenko, who was installed by Russia as the ‘mayor’ of Melitopol is also sanctioned – the first time an individual has been sanctioned for collaboration with Russian forces currently in Ukraine.

Ms Truss said: “These oligarchs, businesses and hired thugs are complicit in the murder of innocent civilians and it is right that they pay the price.

“Putin should be under no illusions – we are united with our allies and will keep tightening the screw on the Russian economy to help ensure he fails in Ukraine. There will be no let-up”.

All those sanctioned today will have their assets in the UK frozen, which means no UK citizen or company can do business with them, and individuals subject to travel bans are also prohibited from travelling to or from the UK.

The latest sanctions will bring the 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.

The Prime Minister welcomed the new sanctions and indicated ministers were looking at targeting Putin’s gold reserves.

Speaking to broadcasters after landing in Belgium’s capital for a Nato summit, Mr Johnson said: “Vladimir Putin is plainly determined to double down on his path of violence and aggression.”

Describing Mr Putin’s treatment of Ukrainians as “absolutely brutal”, he added: “We’ve got to step up. We’ve got to increase our support. We’ve got to tighten the economic vice around Putin, sanctioning more people today, as we are, sanctioning the Wagner Group, looking at what we can do to stop Putin using his gold reserves, and also doing more to help the Ukrainians defend themselves.

“We’re moving, really, from a programme of supporting resistance to supporting the Ukrainian defence of their own country.”

Earlier on Thursday he told LBC Radio: “We need to do more, and so we need to do more economically. Can we do more to stop him using his gold reserves, for instance, in addition to his cash reserves?