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

News Snapshot:

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...