Putins suspected daughter sparks backlash after she bypasses sanctions
Vladimir Putin’s ‘secret daughter’ unveils new medical venture
The woman believed to be Vladimir Putin’s eldest daughter allegedly bypassed international sanctions to have articles published in Western medical journals.
Details about Putin’s personal life have been scarce despite his prominent role in global politics over the past three decades.
The identity of the two women believed to be his daughters has remained effectively a state secret but 38-year-old pediatric endocrinologist Maria Verontsova has often been associated with Russia’s leader.
The US slapped sanctions on Verontsova and 37-year-old former acrobatic dancer Katerina Tikhonova, who has repeatedly been identified as Putin’s youngest daughter, shortly after he launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin at the time threatened to respond to the sanctions in a manner highlighting the strong relationship the Russian leader has with the two women.
READ MORE: Heartbreak as Ukrainian woman identifies bodies of daughter and granddaughter
However, Russian outlet Mozhem Obyasnit has this week claimed Verontsova has been able to bypass the sanctions and continued to author scientific articles released in online scientific journals in the US and Switzerland.
Verontsova is a Moscow State University graduate and held the title of candidate of medical sciences, a rough parallel to a Western Ph.D.
She has a personal page on the institution’s website, where she is referred to as Maria Vladimirovna Verontsova and is listed as the co-author of several articles on endocrinology.
Vladimirovna is a traditional female patronymic employed to identify a Russian woman’s father, in this case, Vladimir.
The woman’s articles were published by The Endocrine Society, with one of the papers released only days before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine began.
DON’T MISS:
Putin’s hope to return Russia to glory days in hands of North Korea[ANALYSIS]
Moment Russian soldiers are wiped out by Ukraine mortar strike in huge explosion[VIDEO]
Kim takes train to Russia over ‘fears of plane being blown up’ like Wagner[EXCLUSIVE]
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
While current regulations don’t forbid Western journals from publishing articles from sanctioned individuals, an anonymous science magazine author told Mozhem Obyasnit that the move would be a considerable blow to the publication’s reputation.
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for The Endocrine Society said Verontsova’s latest article to be published by them had previously been released before the start of the war.
They said: “Dr. Vorontsova was a co-author of an article published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in September 2021, months before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict began in February 2022.
“The same paper was included in the journal’s print edition in February 2022. Dr. Vorontsova has not published any papers in our journals since then.
“The Endocrine Society can confirm that it does not now have any business relationship with, or contractual obligation due, Dr. Vorontsova since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict began.”
In addition to US sanctions, Putin’s suspected daughter was also sanctioned by the European Union over her co-ownership of the company Nomenko, which is a beneficiary of large government funding.
The US Department of the Treasury said in 2022 that “Vorontsova leads state-funded programmes that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin toward genetics research and are personally overseen by Putin.”
The 38-year-old is believed to have been born St. Petersburg in April 1985. She lived with Putin and her mother, his first wife Lyudmila Putina, in Germany.
She studied Biology at Saint Petersburg State University before graduating in medicine from Moscow State University.
Source: Read Full Article