Russian Wife Of Trump-Appointed State Department Official Darren Beattie Denies Ties To Vladimir Putin

The Russian wife of US State Department official Darren Beattie has denied reports of having close ties to Vladimir Putin.

According to reports from The Telegraph, Yulia Kirillova, who has been married to Beattie since 2021, and her uncle, Russian businessman Sergei Chernikov, were linked to the Russian government and supported Putin.

Kirillova responded to the reports by saying they were “malicious smears” and that she had been publicly opposed to Putin “since at least 2012.”

Kirillova grew up in Russia before coming to North America to study abroad. She officially moved to the United States in January of this year.

Chernikov was alleged to have received a personal letter of thanks from Putin, to which Kirillova claimed to be “false and ludicrous.”

“As for my uncle, who I believe was never even contacted for this piece, he has never held a position in the Kremlin or Russian government, ever,” said Kirillova. “Far from being Kremlin-aligned, Putin publicly denounced my uncle and his ownership stake in Bashkir Soda, whereupon the Putin government stole his company from him.”

Beattie was appointed to acting undersecretary for public diplomacy within the State Department in February and previously worked in the Trump Administration during President Donald Trump‘s first term, before being fired for attending a white supremacist rally in 2016.

Beattie has a history of pro-Russian views and has supported Putin’s leadership.

In his current role, Beattie spearheaded efforts to dismantle the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office, a State Department agency geared toward fighting Russian propaganda. In April, the Trump Administration withdrew the agency’s $50 million funding.

The State Department responded to the reports by praising Beattie and his work within the Trump Administration.

“This is all fake news and low even for tabloid standards. Darren is a tremendous colleague who is committed to advancing President Trump’s America First agenda. In a few short months, he has been able to spearhead high-level projects that have been critical in advancing a foreign policy that puts our national interests first,” a senior official in the State Department said.