Lead Kremlin Negotiator Kirill Dmitriev’s Sister Traveled to Ukraine on US Passport (2025)

Multiple family members of top Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev have held American passports as recently as this year – and used them to enter Ukraine and the US, official sources told Kyiv Post.

Just days before US and Russian negotiators gathered in Saudi Arabia for talks over Ukraine’s future, Dmitriev’s sister – Natalia Dmitrieva – crossed into Ukraine on a US passport.

Natalia Dmitrieva entered Ukraine by land on an American passport on Feb. 8, and departed four days later, according to border control records and multiple sources familiar with her movements.

Her visit – previously unreported by the media – came as her brother prepared to represent Moscow in sensitive talks with US counterparts that began in Riyadh on Feb. 18.

Official travel records reviewed by Kyiv Post, along with confirmation from multiple intelligence sources who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive information, showed that Natalia Dmitrieva frequently traveled on a US passport. Her mother, Tamara Shevchenko, has also used a US passport for international travel since at least 2018.

The discovery that both Natalia Dmitrieva and Shevchenko recently held American passports – and that Natalia Dmitrieva traveled to Ukraine just days before her brother entered peace talks earlier this year on behalf of Moscow – casts new doubt on the loyalties and ties of Dmitriev as Putin’s highly trusted confidant.

It also complicates public perceptions of Dmitriev’s role. While he presents himself abroad as a staunch defender of Russia’s war aims, his immediate family members have been able to live, travel, and hold assets in the West far from the front lines he helps to shape through diplomacy.

Dmitriev’s extensive links to the West are well known. Born in Kyiv, he studied at Stanford University and later Harvard Business School before returning to Russia, where he rose to head the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), a Kremlin-backed sovereign wealth fund.

What had not been known until now is that his sister and mother appear to have secured American citizenship and have continued to maintain personal and financial connections to both Ukraine and the US throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Although most people who hold an American passport are American citizens, in some circumstances it is possible to obtain a travel document as a non-citizen US national. Kyiv Post has not yet been able to verify how Natalia Dmitrieva and Shevchenko, both of whom were in Ukraine and have held Ukrainian passports, received their US passports or if they are full American citizens.

Traveling without a worry

Border control records reviewed by Kyiv Post show that both in entering and exiting Ukraine, Natalia Dmitriev crossed the border late at night.

Sources and official documents confirmed that Natalia Dmitrieva traveled on a US passport, with no other recorded entries into Ukraine since 2019. Other flights she took from Kyiv in the past – on her American passport – included travel to New York, Paris, London, Istanbul, and Tel Aviv.

Available travel records also show that Tamara Shevchenko, Dmitriev’s mother, used a US passport for international travel since at least 2018. While one source indicated that Shevchenko left Ukraine around the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv Post could not independently verify her subsequent movements or current place of residence.

Shevchenko last used her Ukrainian passport in 2018 for a trip from Kyiv to Istanbul. Like her daughter, she also traveled from Kyiv to Paris, London, Istanbul, and other international cities over the last seven years.

Documents showed that both women were born in Ukraine. Natalia Dimitrieva’s Ukrainian passport was issued in Moscow in 2013. Shevechenko, who was born in Chernihiv, was issued her Ukrainian passport in Kyiv in 2017.

Kirill Dmitriev – negotiator or liability?

Born in Kyiv in 1975, Dmitriev spent over a decade in the United States, earning a degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, before returning to Russia. In 2011, he was tapped to lead the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), a $10 billion sovereign wealth fund created by the Kremlin to attract foreign capital.

Over time, RDIF became a key vehicle for Moscow’s efforts to circumvent Western sanctions. Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, both the fund and Dmitriev were sanctioned by the US and EU.

Dmitriev has, however, remained a trusted Kremlin envoy. His participation in the peace talks has continued – he met with the White House’s de facto Russia liaison, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, as recently as Friday in Moscow, per reporting by CNN.

Dmitriev’s standing within Russia’s inner circle is not just professional. He is married to Natalia Popova, a businesswoman and close friend of Katerina Tikhonova, widely reported to be one of Putin’s daughters. Their longstanding relationship, combined with his extensive knowledge of the US, placed Dmitriev in the orbit of the Kremlin’s most guarded elite and propelled him into one of Moscow’s top diplomatic roles.

According to many open-source profiles, Popova and Tikhonova’s business ties have spanned sectors ranging from health technologies to energy innovation – industries that have benefited from state support under Putin’s administration.

Dmitriev’s own position, both as RDIF head and unofficial diplomatic envoy, is said to have been solidified with these family connections.

Despite living in the US for several years, Kyiv Post received no evidence that Dmitriev is currently or has ever been a US citizen or held an American passport. It is unclear how Dmitriev’s sister and mother were able to secure their American passports.

Loyalties in question

Beyond their political connections, the Dmitriev family’s financial ties to Ukraine have remained largely undisturbed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion – despite facing sanctions by several countries.

Sources confirmed that members of Dmitriev’s immediate family maintain ownership of properties in Kyiv, with additional assets in Europe and other countries, based on public and official reviews of property records.

Although these dealings predate the war, the fact that Dmitriev’s family still has access to property in Ukraine and the West – even as he negotiates for a government attacking it – makes clear the potential conflicts of interest at the heart of Moscow’s negotiating tactics.

Neither Dmitriev nor representatives of RDIF immediately responded to a request for comment. Efforts to reach Natalia Dmitrieva and Tamara Shevchenko were also unsuccessful.

Kyiv Post will continue investigating the personal, financial, and political ties surrounding Kremlin-linked figures operating across Ukraine, Russia, and the West.