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Did fear of Putin reprisals force US to cancel sanctions on Alina Kabaeva? The TRUTH behind rumors

The withholding of sanctions comes despite the fact that American authorities think Kabaeva is involved in the concealment of Putin's money abroad

A new report claims that the US purposefully avoided sanctioning Vladimir Putin's alleged mistress Alina Kabaeva at the eleventh hour, fearing that doing so would negatively impact relations with Russia. Alina Kabaeva, 39, is a former Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion, Russian Vogue cover model, and believed to be 70-year-old Putin's mistress. The US Treasury Department targeted her in the wake of Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February, but she escaped penalties at the last minute after the National Security Council intervened, according to the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ source claims that the officials in Washington feared that penalizing Kabaeva would be such a personal hit on Putin that ties between Russia and the West would worsen.

According to Wikipedia, in 2008, the Russian media announced Putin and Kabaeva's engagement. It was pulled down a few days later when Putin denied the report. Since 2013, Kabaeva and her family have acquired two houses, a half-dozen apartments, and many acres of land. Kabaeva is claimed to have had three children with Putin and has became affluent as a result of her ties to him. This made her a perfect target for US sanctions after Putin invaded Ukraine in February. Kabaeva gave birth to Putin's child in Switzerland in 2015, according to officials in the United States, Switzerland, and the European Union. But, a spokeswoman for Putin dismissed the claim. According to Washington, she also gave birth to twins in 2019.

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The withholding of sanctions comes despite the fact that American authorities think Kabaeva is involved in the concealment of Putin's money abroad. According to government sources, she still stays on the list of prospective sanction targets. One official clarified, “We have prepared sanctions on a number of people who haven't yet been sanctioned, and we continue to think about when to impose those sanctions for maximum impact.” Moscow has consistently denied any link between Putin and Kabaeva, and she has also denied the relationship. Earlier, the US accused Kabaeva and her family of profiting from their ties to Putin, and a US intelligence probe into the 2016 election named her as a recipient of Putin's money.

Putin is presented in Russian official media as leading a life equal to that of a monk, devoting himself to public service. He has two known daughters from a previous marriage, ages 36 and 35. On April 6, one of Russia's imprisoned opposition leaders, Alexei Navalny, pleaded to the US lawmakers to sanction Kabaeva, claiming she was assisting Putin in hiding his money. The Ukrainian government has also requested Western countries to condemn Kabaeva and has asked Switzerland to restrict her from entering the country. The Swiss government however has denied having any knowledge of Kabaeva's presence in their nation.

Meanwhile, Kabaeva made an appearance at a rhythmic gymnastics event in Moscow on Saturday, April 23 showing her support to the Russia's war effort. Her "rare appearance" was tweeted about by Western media outlets, including The Mirror in UK.