The United States has revoked penalties imposed on the spouse of Boris Rotenberg, a billionaire with deep ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While Boris Rotenberg himself remains under sanctions introduced following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, the U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday it had lifted restrictions on his wife, Karina.
Karina Yurevna Rotenberg was first penalized in March 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Treasury gave no immediate reason for its decision to drop the sanctions.
Born in St. Petersburg in 1978, Karina also holds an American passport, as previously disclosed by investigative sources. Her U.S. citizenship had made her a focus for officials even before the sanctions were imposed, complicating her ability to receive funds from her husband, who amassed his fortune after founding SMP Bank and has been a childhood friend of Putin.
The couple married in 2009, and Karina has been noted for a lavish lifestyle and a keen interest in horseback riding. She was once featured in the Russian edition of a British celebrity magazine, posing in gowns and equestrian attire.
Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, now a political activist, criticized the move on social media, saying it showed a pattern of imposing tariffs on allies while easing measures on adversaries.
Attempts to contact Karina were unsuccessful; her Facebook account could not be reached, and her Instagram was set to private.
On the same day it lifted sanctions on Karina, the Treasury imposed new penalties on several Russian entities and individuals accused of aiding Houthi rebels in Yemen. Among them were two ship captains involved in transporting goods from Russian-occupied Crimea to Yemen last year.
The Treasury alleged these figures were part of a network that obtained tens of millions of dollars in Russian commodities, including weapons and stolen Ukrainian grain, for delivery to Houthi-controlled areas.
The U.S. has blamed the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, for attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. Reports also emerged of suspected U.S. airstrikes against Houthi positions on the same day, following earlier strikes that sparked controversy over the use of an unsecure messaging app for military planning.