Sanctions should be imposed on Vladimir Putin’s secret girlfriend to "hurt" him, a former US intelligence officer has argued.
It was reported yesterday the US deliberately avoided sanctioning Alina Kabaeva at the last minute due to concerns it would enflame tensions with Russia.
The 39-year-old former Olympic champion is long-rumoured to be 70-year-old Putin's mistress but ducked restrictions when the National Security Council intervened, the Wall Street Journal reported.