Russian authorities have put the son of a senior official on a wanted list for alleged money laundering, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing Russia’s interior ministry.

The man in question is Artyom Uss, whose father Alexander Uss is the governor of the Greater Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.

Uss junior was arrested in Italy last week for attempting to circumvent sanctions on Russia.

At the time, Russian officials had accused Italy of political persecution.

According to Mr Uss, his son was arrested in Italy for supplying petroleum products, commonly available equipment and technical means that are freely bought and sold all over the world.

Mr Uss said the arrest was politically motivated.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also commented on the arrest at the time, condemning the arrests of Russian citizens abroad.

The authorities had not yet commented on the newly emerged criminal proceedings against Mr Uss in Russia.

Mr Uss was not the only relative of high-ranking Russian politicians to have run into trouble abroad recently, following the wave of sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

In Norway, the son of former railway chief Vladimir Yakunin, who for years was considered one of President Vladimir Putin’s top confidants, was arrested after launching a drone on the island of Spitsbergen.

The Arctic island was considered strategically important as Russia wanted to extend mining rights for coal there, among other factors. 

(dpa/NAN)