The United States sanctioned two eldest daughters of Vladimir Putin

The United States announced sanctions on Wednesday against two daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a measure that adds pressure on the Russian leader's closest relatives in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The Treasury Department's announcement includes two of the largest Russian banks as well as Maria Putina and Katerina Tikhonova, the leader's two daughters resulting from his first marriage to Liudmila Shkrebneva.

Putin does not speak publicly about his family but, according to the Kremlin, he has two daughters with his first wife, Lyudmila Shkrebneva, who have largely remained out of public life, to the point that many Russians do not know what they are like.

According to Forbes magazine, Maria Putina is co-owner of Nomeko, a company that is involved in the construction of a cancer center on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, and Katerina Tikhonova runs an artificial intelligence institute at Moscow State University.

In 2013, the couple said their marriage was over. The following year, the Kremlin confirmed that the Russian president had completed the divorce process of his wife after a marriage of almost 30 years, amid press rumors of an alleged relationship with a former Olympic gymnast.

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