Who are in the Kremlin inner circle? Biden sanctions Russian bigwigs close to Putin
The United States and European Union have announced a series of sanctions on Russia after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into the Donbas region. The move, coming hours after Putin's decision to recognize the independent region is seen by many as the first step to a larger invasion of Ukraine, which Western allies are keen to stop.
While Ukrainians are preparing for war and protesting against Russia at the border, the West is still keen to pursue a diplomatic solution. French President Emmanuel Macron briefly negotiated a summit between Putin and US President Joe Biden, before it was scrapped in light of the Donbas recognition. War seems almost inevitable at this point, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also issuing orders to conscript all reservists in the country.
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As we have reported, the US and European allies have, for now, refused to send troops into Ukraine. Instead, they've offered support through arms, and threats against Russia. Those threats have now morphed into action, with Biden issuing an Executive Order sanctioning five Russian families believed to be close to Putin.
Who are in Putin's inner circle?
While the full list of names is not known, Putin appears to surround himself with several close allies who have either come from the military, or politics. In his order, Biden targeted Russia's VEB and Promsvyazbank (PSB) banks, which effectively means Russia "can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt" in Western markets. The sanctions also target three Russian families, who are-
Denis Aleksandrovich Bortnikov: Denis is the son of Aleksandr Vasilievich Bortnikov, who is the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Denis is currently the Deputy President of VTB Bank, a state-owned financial institution. A seasoned banker, Denis also has ties to banks in other oppressive regimes like Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Little else is known about Denis beyond his extensive CV, but his father is reportedly extremely close to Putin, who was also an FSB employee.
Petr Mikhailovich Fradkov: The Chairman and CEO of PSB is the son of former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Since taking over PSB, Fradkov has reportedly worked closely with Putin "for supporting the Russian defense industry" through the bank's activities. In fact, the bank currently specializes in the government’s defense orders and large public procurement. He has also been accused of cross-border corruption and violating international sanctions.
Vladimir Sergeevich Kiriyenko: Vladimir is the son of Sergei Vladilenovich Kiriyenko, who is Putin’s domestic policy curator. He also serves as Putin's Cheif of Staff, so there's no doubt he's very close to the President. It's unclear why the US is targeting Vladimir, but like Denis Bortnikov he also appears to have ties to Russia's banking system. Today, Vladimir serves as the CEO of VK Group, the company behind Russian social media giant VKontakte, which is reportedly playing a key role in Russian disinformation.
As a result of the sanctions, the three individuals will have all their property and financial interests in the USA frozen, and reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in the US Department of the Treasury. Furthermore, it also means that any companies or assets that they own "directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate," will also be blocked. Europe too has imposed sanctions on those close to Putin, as well as other moves to freeze Russian economic assets, but have so far stopped short of fully isolating the nation.
