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EU blacklists Putin's gymnast 'associate'
By EUobserver
The latest round of EU sanctions has blacklisted Alina Kabaeva, said to be a girlfriend of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kabaeva is a "former gymnast", who is on the board of a firm "that owns large stakes in almost all major Russian federal media", the EU sanctions said. She is "closely associated" with Putin, they added. Friday's sanctions included a partial oil embargo and bans on banks and TV channels.