Putin's daughters join St. Petersburg Economic Forum amidst West boycotts

The Economic Forum in St. Petersburg was once regarded as the "Russian Davos," attracting figures like French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. However, the West began to boycott the event after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022.

"Once aimed at luring US and European investors as a "window" into Russia, SPIEF now has a distinctly anti-Western agenda," Bloomberg comments. This year's discussion panel topics include: "Requiem for Europe: A New Era of International Cooperation" and "Empire of Evil: Has the West Effectively Demonised Russia?"

Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, Vladimir Putin's daughters, will take part in the conference (although he has never publicly confirmed them as his children). The former, an endocrinologist, will discuss the bioeconomy. As head of the Innopraktika centre, the latter—supported by many Russian state-owned companies—will address the military-industrial complex.

Both women were added to the sanctions lists of the United States and the European Union after Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022. The US administration said Tikhonova's work supported the Russian defence industry. At the same time, Vorontsova directs state-funded programmes that have received billions of pounds for genetic research from the Kremlin and are personally overseen by Putin.

Another participant at the event will be Ksenia Shoigu, daughter of long-time defence minister Sergei Shoigu. She will moderate a discussion on Russian sports. Also attending the forum will be Alexander Vaino, son of the head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, Anton Vaino, as well as children of several other important figures in Vladimir Putin's circle, such as Roman Rotenberg, whose father Boris was one of Putin's childhood judo partners. On Friday, Putin himself will speak at the conference.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Maria Snegovaya from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, commented that we are witnessing a gradual transfer of power to heirs. She added that it is an attempt to renew and rejuvenate the elite. Vladimir Putin is 72 years old, and the people around him are of a similar age.

- To be safe, you have to be in the system - stated Ekaterina Schulmann from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre in Berlin in an interview with Bloomberg. As she explained, many members of the Russian elite sent their children abroad before the war, but now, in the era of Western sanctions, this is more difficult. Therefore - in her opinion - the way to secure themselves is by appointing their children as heads.