Putin's daughters and anti-western hawks rule at this year's 'Russian Davos'

At Vladimir Putin's premier economic forum, dubbed the "Russian Davos" and held each year in the president's home town of St Petersburg, two women spoke at length. Their identities were an open secret, yet no one dared utter it aloud: they were Putin's adult daughters. The older daughter, Maria Vorontsova, 39, a scientist specialising in genetic research, chaired a discussion at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on "Bioeconomics". The same day, Katerina Tikhonova, 37, a tech executive and dancer of acrobatic rock'n'roll, spoke proudly about the defence industry's role in ensuring Russia's technological sovereignty. The identities of Putin's…