Russian foreign minister’s stepdaughter sanctioned

The U.K. on Thursday sanctioned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s stepdaughter. 

The 26-year-old Polina Kovaleva will not be allowed to travel to and from the U.K., where she owns a multimillion dollar home, Newsweek reported. 

Others were sanctioned as well, including Wagner Group, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s private army. 

The sanctioning of Kovaleva adds to a growing list of Russian individuals who have seen their assets frozen due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Kovaleva has lived in the U.K. for years, buying a $5.8 million home in London when she was 21-years-old.

Maria Pevchikh, head of investigations at Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said Lavrov and his wife, Kovaleva’s mother, have not been seen together for years, according to Newsweek. 

She said there’s no way Kovaleva received the money for her expeditions and house from her mother or biological father. 

“She paid cash. No mortgage,” Pevchikh said. “Can anyone explain how this is possible? Her only source of money is her unemployed mother who happens to be Lavrov’s informal wife. This is the textbook example of unexplained wealth. The property can be legally seized right now.”

The U.S. has sanctioned 140 Russian individuals since the start of the war and continues to implement actions to cripple Russia’s economy.