Joe Biden's Most Personal Measure Against Putin Yet

As Russia's war against Ukraine rages on, the world remains divided on how, or if, to intervene. The New York Times reports that India and China continue to maintain a "neutral" stance and sit on the fence, while other major world leaders pile on the pressure in an attempt to put an end to the bloody invasion.

According to Politico, any form of direct military action by sovereign states has been ruled out — for now — over concerns it will escalate the conflict further, resulting in an already feared scenario of World War III. So, the leading train of thought is to try and hit Vladimir Putin and his oligarch cronies where it hurts the most: in the wallet.

Per NATO, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and their allies have imposed a series of strict sanctions against Russia and its uber-wealthy elite, in a bid to pile on the pressure and force the Russian president to withdraw his troops from Ukraine. However, they appear to have had little to no effect. In fact, disturbing reports have been emerging of alleged war crimes and genocide being committed by Putin's army, per The New York Times. As the death toll increases by the day, the US has decided to turn the heat up with the announcement of Joe Biden's most personal measure against Putin yet.

CNN reports that Joe Biden has stepped it up on the sanctions front, and he's making sure to hit really close to Vladimir Putin's home. In addition to imposing further sanctions on the Russian banking system, Biden has also targeted Putin's two adult daughters, Mariya Putina and Katerina Tikhonova, with sanctions. The details of the sanction measures against the two women have not been disclosed. 

A White House official claimed that the existing sanctions in place have already been hitting Russians hard, but explained it was imperative to increase the pressure on Putin personally. Apparently, the former KGB head honcho has persisted in his own goals and aims despite the existing measures. "The question really is not so much: What can we do and when will that have an effect? I think it's: What's the endgame here for Putin? What's he playing for?" the spokesperson said.

Putin has never publicly acknowledged fathering any children, and little is known about his family, per Business Insider. It's even suspected that he may have a third daughter in addition to Putina and Tikhonova. The latter two are from his marriage to Lyudmila Shkrebneva. The couple announced they were divorcing in 2013 after 30-years of marriage. Shkrebneva raved about Putin's stellar parenting skills on the official Kremlin website. "Not all fathers are as loving with their children as he is," she allegedly said. "And he has always spoiled them while I was the one who had to discipline them."