Correction 7/19/22, 12:31 a.m. ET: Comment from an EU official has been added, correcting the identity of the man pictured, who was initially identified as a sanctioned Russian lawmaker.
A man pictured vacationing in Europe has been confused for a sanctioned Putin-ally banned from most of the continent, according to European Union officials.
The muddle began when social media users spotted Vladimir Plotnikov in a photo on Instagram posted by his daughter, Sonia, on July 16, showing the two on a boat in Venice, Italy. The post, captioned "Dad" with a heart emoji, was geotagged in the city.
Another Instagram post two days later, showed the father and daughter at what appeared to be a luxury hotel lobby. It was geotagged at Kempinski Hotel Adriatic Istria in Croatia.
A Russian lawmaker named Vladimir Nikolaevich Plotnikov, MP of the State Duma, has been sanctioned by the EU for supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. He is banned from entering the EU, which includes Italy and Croatia, and is subject to an assets freeze.
Bewildered comments in response to Sonia Plotnikov's Instagram post included pig emojis, and supportive messages to Ukraine. "Glory to Ukraine! Get out of my city!" one user wrote.
However, despite several news reports about the photos including in these pages, the EU told Newsweek the images "seem to be of a person with the same first and last name ... who is not listed" among those sanctioned.
German newspaper Berliner Zeitung reports that the Plotnikov pictured in Venice has been a member of the Perm city parliament since 2016 and is "filthy rich."
While it was not immediately clear when the photos were taken, the Instagram posts were initially met with outrage at the idea EU sanctions could have been flouted.
"You are not welcome here," said another post. Many others commented with the hashtag #buchamassacre.
In her most recent Instagram stories, Sonia Plotnikov shared what she called "ugly" comments she received in her direct messages, adding laughing and clapping emojis as well as writing "proud to be Russian."
The EU has sanctioned 351 members of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, after voting on February 15 for the recognition of self-proclaimed "People's Republic" of Donetsk and of Luhansk —regions of Ukraine which have been held by Russia-backed separatists since 2014.
The EU has sanctioned 98 entities and 1,158 individuals for their role in supporting the war in Ukraine, in a bid to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.
The list includes Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, oligarchs, military personnel, businesspeople, propagandists and some leaders' family members.
Update 7/19/22, 9:27 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to reflect that Newsweek has contacted the EU, Italian and Croatian governments for comment.
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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
