Putin’s Flagship Forum Offers Stage to Children of His Elite
- Relatives of president and top officials are speakers at SPIEF
- Event tilts toward ‘friendly’ countries amid Western sanctions
Vladimir Putin
Photographer: Adam Berry/Getty Images
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Vladimir Putin turns his native St. Petersburg into the heart of power for his flagship economic event this week. Increasingly, the gathering in Russia’s former imperial capital is becoming a generational showcase for the children of the Kremlin elite.
The president’s daughters, Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, are among speakers at the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that begins Wednesday. Former Defense Minister and current Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu’s daughter, Ksenia, also takes part in a panel event.