WASHINGTON: The newest wave of sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia includes two new targets: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, Katerina and Maria, whom US authorities suspect of concealing Putin’s riches.

According to the provisions in the US sanctions package issued on Wednesday, Putin’s daughter Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a tech professional whose work helps the Russian government and its defence sector.

According to the US, his second daughter, Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova, heads government-funded organisations that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin for genetics research and are directly monitored by Putin.

“We have reason to think that Putin and many of his cronies and oligarchs hide their money and assets with family members who deposit their assets and wealth in the US financial system, as well as many other regions of the world,” a senior US administration official told reporters.

“We think many of Putin’s assets are concealed with family members, which is why we’re targeting them,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Reuters was unable to reach Putin’s daughters, their representatives, or the Kremlin for comment immediately.

“We have reason to believe that Putin and many of his cronies and oligarchs conceal their money and assets with family members who deposit their assets and riches in the US financial system, as well as many other parts of the world,” a senior US administration official told reporters.

“We believe many of Putin’s assets are hidden with family members, which is why we’re targeting them,” said the official, who requested anonymity.

Reuters could not immediately reach Putin’s daughters, their attorneys, or the Kremlin for comment.

The magnitude of Putin’s wealth is a contentious issue in Russia. Last year, the Kremlin denied that Putin was the owner of an extravagant villa on the Black Sea, as claimed by opposition lawmaker Alexei Navalny in a video that went viral on YouTube.

In February, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov argued that penalties imposed on Putin were meaningless.

“(Putin) is unconcerned.” “Some assets are subject to spurious accusations under the sanctions,” Peskov stated. “Other than those stated by the president, the president has no assets.”

However, politicians in the United States feel otherwise.

“Putin and his oligarchs hide their dirty money in rule-of-law countries by buying mansions, mega-yachts, artwork, and other high-value assets,” US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said a few weeks ago, while introducing legislation that offered cash rewards for information leading to the seizure of assets held by sanctioned Russian oligarchs.

Rock n’ Roll dancer

Putin’s daughters, whom the US says help him conceal his riches, have never publicly acknowledged that Putin is their father, and he has refused to address inquiries about them.

A 2015 Reuters investigation documented Katerina, an acrobatic rock ‘n’ roll dancerconnections ,’s and influence in the next generation of Moscow’s elite.

According to the article, “Katerina, 29, introduced herself as the wife of Kirill Shamalov, son of Nikolai Shamalov, a longstanding friend of President Putin.” “Shamalov senior is a stakeholder in Bank Rossiya, which US officials have described as the Russian elite’s personal bank.”

Kirill and Katerina held company assets worth around $2 billion as husband and wife, according to financial analysts’ estimations supplied to Reuters. This was in addition to other assets and property.

According to the Reuters research, Putin’s eldest daughter Maria studied biology at St. Petersburg University and medicine at Moscow State University. She is also highly interested in genetic research, which Putin has described in the past as an area that would “determine the future of the whole planet.”

Maria married Dutch businessman Jorrit Joost Faassen, according to Russian and Western media sources.

In 2015, she was a PhD candidate at the Endocrinology Research Centre in Moscow, pursuing a biomedical career specialising in the endocrine system, and she is the co-author of a book about “idiopathic stunting” in children, according to Reuters.

According to the story, her spouse used to work for Gazprombank, a significant lender with close ties to Putin’s inner circle. There were no estimates for their assets and holdings available at the time.