Journalists from the Trap Aggressor project, part of the analytical centre StateWatch, have traced how the daughter of a senior Kremlin official continues to operate businesses in the United Kingdom despite the sanctions placed on her father.
Key Findings:
- 31 Eaton Place Limited – a property management company founded by Maria Komarova in 2013 together with businessman Amin Lakhani.
- Milo Maria Limited – Komarova’s luxury fashion label, whose designs have been worn by global stars such as Lady Gaga, Eurovision winner Loreen, British pop singer Charli XCX, rapper Lalisa Manoban, and the Kardashian sisters. Yet the company shows tell-tale signs of being a front: no employees, unaudited accounts, and debts totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.
- Igor Komarov – member of Russia’s Security Council and former head of Roscosmos (2014–2018). He is under sanctions imposed by the US, Canada, Ukraine, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand, but remains notably absent from the sanction lists of the EU, Switzerland, and Japan.
- In 2025, Komarov continues his role within the Security Council, publicly supporting Russian troops and their families, presenting state awards to fallen soldiers, and appointing a veteran of the so-called “special military operation” as his deputy.
Who is Igor Komarov
Igor Komarov has served as the Presidential Envoy to Russia’s Volga Federal District since September 2018. He is also a member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, one of the Kremlin’s most powerful governing bodies.
Before joining the Security Council, Komarov headed Roscosmos, Russia’s state space corporation. Since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, Roscosmos has launched military satellites in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence. Roscosmos has also been involved in recruiting, funding, and equipping potential servicemen in the occupied territories, directly supporting Russia’s war effort.
Prior to that, Komarov held senior positions at Norilsk Nickel and Rostec, where he was known as a close associate of Rostec’s powerful head, Sergei Chemezov.
British assets of Komarov’s daughter
One of the company’s co-owners was businessman Amin Lakhani, who operates businesses in the United States and opened McDonald’s in Pakistan.
Unprofitable business and suspicious schemes
“ Such parameters can serve as risk indicators and may prompt inquiries from Companies House, the UK government agency responsible for maintaining the official register of companies, or inspections by HMRC, the department responsible for tax collection. However, on their own they aren’t sufficient grounds for freezing or seizing assets. To obtain a freezing order, authorities must have ‘reasonable grounds to suspect’ that the funds represent criminal proceeds or are intended for unlawful purposes. The decision is made by a magistrates’ court. In such cases, the usual process begins with a tax investigation or an information request rather than an immediate freeze. The FRS 105 accounting regime, a financial reporting standard available to UK companies qualifying as micro-entities, is entirely legal and allows them to file simplified financial statements without full publication. It doesn’t, in itself, indicate money laundering.. However, knowingly submitting false filings can trigger criminal or civil liability. Since 4 March 2024, Companies House has gained new powers to request supporting evidence, reject suspicious submissions, and remove inaccurate data. In suspected financial crime cases, law enforcement or HMRC can still seek account-freezing orders.”
Two of Komarova’s other British companies, Mardim LTD and Run-a-Way.Online.Store Limited, have already been dissolved as of 2025.
From posthumous medals to political integration: how Komarov builds support for the “Special Military Operation”
Through educational and civic programmes, Komarov promotes the integration of “SMO” veterans into political and governmental institutions, turning them into instruments of propaganda and for consolidating public backing of the Kremlin’s war.