U.S. concerned sanctions against Putin's mistress could provoke attack from Moscow

Two months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the woman believed to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s girlfriend has avoided the sanctions that have hit other notable Kremlin figures.

Alina Kabaeva, 39, is a former Olympic champion rhythmic gymnast and rumored to have had four children with Putin, including twin girls. Reports say that she plays a role in hiding the Russian president’s wealth overseas.

The U.S. Treasury Department prepared a sanctions package against Kabaeva but called off-last minute over fears Putin would take it as a personal attack, further escalating tensions between Russia and the U.S. over the invasion of Ukraine, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The risk of provoking Putin into a paternal rage is further complicated by the fact he controls the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned about a possible nuclear attack on his country.

"For them, life of the people is nothing," Zelensky told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Apr. 17. "That's why we should... not be afraid. Be ready."

Putin is notoriously private about his personal life, going to great lengths to protect his children from the media and the public.

“I have a private life in which I do not permit interference. It must be respected,” he once said. “I have always reacted negatively to those who with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies prowl into others’ lives.”

Kabaeva, who was once dubbed “Russia’s most flexible woman,” is one of the most decorated athletes in rhythmic gymnastics history. She is reportedly staying in Switzerland at the private lodge of a Putin loyalist.

A Change.org petition demanding Kabaeva and her children by expelled from Switzerland has reached almost 75,000 signatures as of Apr. 25.

U.S. officials told WSJ that Kabaeva is still a potential target for sanctions.