yacht russischer oligarch triest

• Veranstaltungen

Dicker Fisch: Größte Segeljacht der Welt im Hafen von Triest festgesetzt

Auf der Jagd nach Immobilien und anderen Luxusgüter russischer Oligarchen ist den italienischen Behörden ein dicker Fisch ins Netz gegangen: der 143 m lange Dreimaster "Sailing Yacht A" auch unter dem Namen "White Pearl" bekannt.

Italienische Behörden haben eine weitere Megajacht eines russischen Milliardärs festgesetzt. Das auf einen Wert von rund 530 Millionen Euro geschätzte Schiff mit dem Namen "Sailing Yacht A" liegt im Hafen von Triest an der nördlichen Adria. Beamte der italienischen Finanzpolizei setzten es am Freitag fest, wie die Regierung in Rom am Samstag bestätigte. Der knapp 143 Meter lange Dreimaster gilt als größte Segeljacht der Welt.

Die von der deutschen Werft Nobiskrug gebaute Jacht wird dem russischen Kohle-Milliardär Andrej Melnitschenko zugerechnet, der nach Russlands Invasion in die Ukraine auf eine EU-Sanktionsliste kam. Die italienische Finanzpolizei hatte bereits vergangene Woche eine andere mutmaßliche russische Oligarchen-Jacht festgesetzt.

• Warum ist Putins Jacht aus Hamburg geflüchtet?
• Oligarchen bringen ihre Superyachten in Sicherheit

Gehört Megajacht "Scheherazade" dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin?

Außerdem prüfen laut "New York Times" die US-Geheimdienste und auch die italienischen Behörden derzeit, ob eine in Marina di Carrara in der Toskana angedockte Megajacht "Scheherazade" dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin gehöre. Die US-Zeitung berichtete, es gebe Anzeichen dafür. Das Luxusjacht-Unternehmen The Italian Sea Group, das derzeit in einem Trockendock an dem 140 Meter langen Schiff arbeitet, teilte aber mit, dass Putin laut Dokumenten nicht der Besitzer sei.

Keine Zweifel haben die Behörden indes daran, dass die "Sailing Yacht A" Melnitschenko gehört, der in dieser Woche einen Tag nach seinem 50. Geburtstag auf die Sanktionsliste der EU gesetzt worden war. Der in St. Moritz in der Schweiz wohnhafte Oligarch ist Haupteigner des Düngemittelkonzerns EuroChem und des Kohle-Unternehmens Suek. Beide Firmen gaben am Donnerstag den Rückzug des Milliardärs aus den jeweiligen Vorständen und als Begünstigter bekannt.

Jagd auf Immobilien und andere Luxusgüter russischer Oligarchen

Nach der Beschlagnahmung teilte ein Sprecher Melnitschenkos dem "Stern" mit: "Wir werden diese unbegründeten und ungerechtfertigten Sanktionen anfechten und glauben, dass die Rechtsstaatlichkeit und der gesunde Menschenverstand sich durchsetzen werden."

Der italienische Finanzminister Daniele Franco lobte am Samstag das Vorgehen der ihm unterstellten Polizei, die gegen Vermögen, Immobilien und andere Luxusgüter russischer Oligarchen vorgehen. "Bis heute wurden Güter im Wert von insgesamt mehr als 700 Millionen Euro beschlagnahmt", sagte Franco bei einer Veranstaltung in Bergamo.

Zum selben Thema

Vermögen von fc-chelsea-eigner abramowisch und anderen oligarchen eingefroren, g7: borrell warnt vor regionalem krieg im nahen osten, 57 mrd euro ukraine-hilfe: biden will "sofort unterzeichnen".

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Italian authorities seize one of world’s largest superyachts from oligarch

Sailing Yacht A, owned by Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko, seized in Trieste on Friday evening

• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news

Italian authorities have seized a €530m (£444m) superyacht owned by Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko as part of EU sanctions following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine .

Sy A – short for Sailing Yacht A – was seized on Friday evening in the port of Trieste after being identified by Italian police as belonging to the billionaire owner of EuroChem Group, a major fertiliser producer, and the coal company SUEK.

Video footage reportedly showed police cars with flashing lights approaching the yacht, said to be one of the largest in the world, and boarding it.

EuroChem and SUEK said in statements on Thursday that Melnichenko had resigned as a member of the board in both companies and withdrawn as their beneficiary, effective on Wednesday.

It comes as Roman Abramovich’s superyacht Solaris was pictured arriving in Tivat, Montenegro, on Saturday. The vessel left a port in Barcelona earlier this week as the UK government imposed sanctions on the Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club.

On Thursday, it was tracked off the coast of Sicily after reportedly undergoing repairs earlier in the week in Barcelona, one of a number of apparently hurried sailings of Russian billionaires moving their superyachts to avoid seizure. His other yacht, the more luxurious Eclipse, was on Thursday located to the west of the Canary Islands.

A European Council decision authorising the sanctions against Melnichenko says he was one of 37 business leaders who met with the Russian president after the invasion of Ukraine to talk about the potential economic impact of EU and US sanctions.

Melnichenko, the document states, “belongs to the most influential circle of Russian businesspeople with close connections to the Russian government”.

It adds: “He is therefore involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine.”

A spokesperson for Melnichenko, Alex Andreev, said the businessman had “no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine. He has no political affiliations”.

“There is no justification whatsoever for placing him on the EU sanctions list,” Andreev said. “We will be disputing these baseless and unjustified sanctions, and believe that the rule of law and common sense will prevail.”

Italian authorities have separately seized €143m worth of luxury yachts and villas owned by Russian billionaires in luxury destinations including Lake Como, Sardinia and the Ligurian coast.

Nobiskrug, the manufacturer of Sailing Yacht A, describes the three-mast vessel on its website as “one of the world’s largest and most advanced superyachts” and the “ultimate embodiment of German superyachts built for the 22nd century”. It is almost 143 metres long, the mainmast is 100 metres above the waterline, and the yacht has a gross tonnage of about 12,600.

Other yachts seized by Italian police include Lady M, owned by Alexei Mordashov who, before being blacklisted this week by the EU, was the richest man in Russia. A yacht owned by Gennady Timchenko, another billionaire with close ties to Putin, was also seized.

Most viewed

Watch Police Seize $578 Million Superyacht Linked To Russian Billionaire

MILAN — Italian financial police has seized a Russian-owned superyacht valued at $578 million in the port of Trieste as part of seizures of oligarch wealth to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt the war on Ukraine.

The “Sy A” yacht was identified by Italian police as belonging to billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, who made a fortune in fertilizer production and coal energy. It was seized Friday evening.

Italy’s financial police ( @GDF ) has just frozen “SY A” - a sailing yacht worth ~€530m located in the Port of Trieste. The yacht could be linked indirectly to Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko - an individual in the EU sanctions list. pic.twitter.com/fRg6ZTIQRH — Ferdinando Giugliano (@FerdiGiugliano) March 12, 2022

Video shows police in cars with flashing lights approaching the triple-mast yacht and officers boarding it.

Italian authorities last week seized some 143 million euros ($156 million) in luxury yachts and villas belonging to Russian billionaires in such picturesque retreats as Sardinia, the Ligurian coast and Lake Como.

Sanzioni contro la Russia: A Trieste, nel rimessaggio del porto, è stato sequestrato dalla Guardia di Finanza lo yacht a vela più grande del mondo, del valore di 530 milioni di euro. Lo "SY A" è riconducibile all'imprenditore russo Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko. pic.twitter.com/xj0V728Qsa — Tg La7 (@TgLa7) March 11, 2022

Support HuffPost

Our 2024 coverage needs you, your loyalty means the world to us.

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.

Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.

Dear HuffPost Reader

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.

Popular in the Community

From our partner, more in world news.

2 years after being seized, the Russian oligarch’s $580 million megayacht which is even bigger than Jeff Bezos’ Koru left Trieste and sailed for Venice. Just so that it would not escape on the high seas the 469 feet long vessel was guarded by armed ships of the Italian forces.

You may also like

Russia’s richest man who cleverly saved his $300 million superyacht from getting seized by the US authorities may end up losing the 345 feet long Nirvana to his ex-wife in one of the world’s priciest divorces.

For the billionaire to ‘Netflix and Chill’ on the high seas – Built specially to watch movies this 230-Foot Superyacht Concept has not one but two movie theaters.

Only in Monaco would someone drive the original Batmobile and park it right next to Walmart heiress Nancy Walton’s $300 million megayacht, Kaos. Even the crew on board the 361-foot-long vessel couldn’t contain their excitement and started taking photos of the stunning automobile.

Italy’s Prosecco hills now titled as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Shahid Khan’s Kismet Yacht up for grabs at $112 Million

Working from home is passé for billionaires; now it’s about working from superyachts. With the growing acceptance of remote work and schooling, yacht owners and their families are spending months on end in their floating offices.

After extensively cruising the Mediterranean, Jeff Bezos’ sailing yacht Koru and Steven Spielberg’s brand new $250 million superyacht are now docked near each other, both undergoing maintenance at the La Ciotat shipyard in France.

Truck driver turned billionaire just sold his $195 million superyacht with two helipads to get an even bigger yacht. Longer than 4 semi trucks, the vessel has a glass elevator, a sauna, a cinema and an exquisite owner’s deck.

Sleep in the Pope’s room – Could this be Rome’s most exclusive stay?

Hohe Kosten: Rechtsstreit um Oligarchenjacht in Triest

Ein Rechtsstreit ist um eine Megajacht entbrannt, die einem russischen Milliardär zugerechnet wird. Das auf rund 530 Millionen Euro geschätzte Schiff mit dem Namen „Sailing Yacht A“ liegt im Hafen von Triest. Beamte der italienischen Finanzpolizei setzten es im März nach Ausbruch des Ukraine-Krieges fest.

Laut den italienischen Behörden gehört die Jacht dem russischen Kohlemilliardär Andrej Melnitschenko, der nach Russlands Invasion in die Ukraine auf eine EU-Sanktionsliste kam. Sein Vermögen wird laut Forbes auf 27 Milliarden Euro geschätzt.

Die Jacht gehöre nicht Melnitschenko, sondern einer Gesellschaft, die nicht auf der Liste der von Brüssel gelisteten Unternehmen steht, argumentieren Anwälte, die die Freigabe des Schiffs und eine Entschädigung für den erlittenen Schaden anstreben. Die italienische Finanzpolizei erwiderte, es gebe keine Zweifel, dass Melnitschenko der Eigentümer sei. Der Fall wird jetzt von einem Gericht in Rom geprüft.

Mittlerweile sind immer mehr Stellen involviert. Im vergangenen Monat mischte sich Alexander Byrichin, Kommunikationsbeauftragter des Oligarchen, mit einer Klarstellung in die Affäre ein. „Die Jacht gehört jetzt nicht mehr Melnitschenko, sondern einer Stiftung, zu der er keine Beziehung hat.“

Das Finanzministerium in Rom antwortete prompt. „Als eingefrorener Vermögenswert kann das Schiff nicht den Besitzer wechseln, und wenn es vorher Melnitschenko gehörte, gehört es jetzt auch ihm. Wir haben keine Veränderungen bei den Eigentumsverhältnissen festgestellt“, berichtete ein hoher Funktionär laut der Mailänder Tageszeitung „Corriere della Sera“.

Erschwerend kommt das Problem der Wartungskosten für das 143 Meter lange Schiff hinzu, das die Anwesenheit einer zwanzigköpfigen Besatzung an Bord erfordert, auf Kosten des italienischen Staates. Hinzu kommen die Ausgaben für die Bewachung. Circa 800.000 Euro pro Monat zahlt der Staat für den Erhalt der Luxusjacht, berechneten die Behörden, bisher rund sieben Mio. Euro.

red, ORF.at/ Agenturen

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

The superyachts (worth £680m) seized from oligarchs as sanctions hit Russians

As the Russian invasion in Ukraine continues, so too does the wave of economic sanctions against the nation’s oligarchs with links to president Vladimir Putin.

On Tuesday, the UK announced sanctions against a further 350 Russian individuals and entities, taking the total to more than 1,000.

And the EU imposed its own sanctions on 15 new individuals, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich , who was already on the UK list .

One of the most prized assets of oligarchs are their superyachts - and these are now being seized on a regular basis.

The latest vessel to be seized through sanctions belonged to oligarch Sergei Chemezov , a close ally of Putin.

Here are the luxury vessels that have been take off the hands of Russian oligarchs since their country's invasion of Ukraine began almost three weeks ago.

Sergei Chemezov - Valerie superyacht - £115m

A superyacht belonging to Sergei Chemezov was seized by Spanish authorities in Barcelona on Monday.

The boat, named Valerie, is estimated to be worth about £115m.

Chemezov is a former KGB officer with strong links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

He is the chief executive of the Russian state-owned conglomerate Rostec, which comprises 700 businesses across the defence and civil sectors.

Chemezov was appointed to the role by Putin - the pair became friends when stationed in the old East Germany in the 1980s.

The Valerie is 85m long and sails under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The vessel is registered to Chemezov's stepdaughter, Anastasia Ignatova, through a British Virgin Islands company, according to a 2021 article published in the Pandora Papers information leak.

Chemezov was sanctioned by the EU and the US in 2014 and the UK in 2020 over Russia's annexation of Crimea and was named in sanctions lists this month by the US and Australia.

Andrey Melnichenko - Sailing Yacht A - £450m

On Saturday, Italian police seized the superyacht Sailing Yacht A, owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, said to be close to Putin.

The 143m long yacht was seized at the northern port of Trieste.

Melnichenko owned major fertiliser producer EuroChem Group and coal company SUEK. The companies said in statements on Thursday that he had resigned as a member of the board in both companies and withdrawn as their beneficiary.

Watch: Drone footage shows superyacht under investigation for Putin links

A spokesperson for Melnichenko, Alex Andreev, said the billionaire industrialist has "no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine” and “no political affiliations".

He was placed on the EU sanctions list on 9 March. He had attended a meeting between Putin and other oligarchs in February just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Alexei Mordashov - Lady M - £20m

The Lady M superyacht belonging to Russia’s richest man, Alexei Mordashov, was seized by Italian authorities earlier this month.

The 65m boat was seized at the northern Italian port of Imperia.

Mordashov is under EU sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The EU called him the “personal bank” of the senior officials who benefited from Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

He is the chairman of Severstal, Russia’s largest steel and mining company.

According to Forbes, he has a net worth of about £22bn.

Gennady Timchenko - Lena - £6m

The 40m long superyacht Lena, belonging to billionaire Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko, was seized in the Italian port city of Sanremo earlier this month.

Timchenko was placed under EU sanctions and UK sanctions last month. He is a close friend of Putin, who gave him an oil export licence in 1991.

Igor Sechin - Amore Vero - £91m

Earlier this month, French authorities seized the 85m long Amore Vero superyacht belonging to Igor Sechin, a long-time confidante of Putin’s.

Nicknamed “Darth Vader”, Sechin served as Russia’s deputy prime minister from 2008 to 2012 and now runs the management board of oil company Rosneft.

The EU sanctioned Sechin last month and had his assets frozen. The UK has also imposed sanctions on Sechin.

Recommended Stories

Wnba draft winners and losers: as you may have guessed, the fever did pretty well. the liberty perhaps not.

Here are five franchises who stood out, for better or for worse.

Report: Jets trading QB Zach Wilson to Broncos

Wilson's starting over in Denver.

Based on the odds, here's what the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft will be

What would a mock draft look like using just betting odds?

NFL mock draft: With one major trade-up, it's a QB party in the top 5

Our final 2024 mock draft projects four quarterbacks in the first five picks, but the Cardinals at No. 4 might represent the key pivot point of the entire board.

Here’s when people think old age begins — and why experts think it’s starting later

People's definition of "old age" is older than it used to be, new research suggests.

Yankees' Nestor Cortés told by MLB his pump-fake pitch is illegal

Cortés' attempt didn't fool Andrés Giménez, who fouled off the pitch.

Dave McCarty, player on 2004 Red Sox championship team, dies 1 week after team's reunion

The Red Sox were already mourning the loss of Tim Wakefield from that 2004 team.

Chiefs make Andy Reid NFL's highest-paid coach, sign president Mark Donovan, GM Brett Veach to extensions

Reid's deal reportedly runs through 2029 and makes him the highest-paid coach in the NFL.

Ryan Garcia drops Devin Haney 3 times en route to stunning upset

The 25-year-old labeled "mentally fragile" by many delivered the upset for the ages.

Pass or Fail: Broncos release 'Mile High Collection,' first new uniforms in over 25 years

The Broncos may have committed the greatest fashion faux pas there is: being boring.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone ejected after fan mouths off to home plate umpire

You don't see an ejection like this every day.

The new Ford Mustang's V8 is available as a crate engine

Ford offers the new Mustang's updated 5.0-liter Coyote V8 as a crate engine, and it also sells a supercharger kit that unlocks a total of 810 horsepower.

Oakland University outfielders combine to make spectacular catch vs. Northern Kentucky

Oakland University outfielders John Lauinger and Reggie Bussey combined on what could be college baseball's best catch of the 2024 season against Northern Kentucky.

Robert Kraft reportedly warned Falcons owner Arthur Blank not to trust Bill Belichick during head coach interviews

Bill Belichick's former boss Robert Kraft reportedly tanked his chances of getting hired as the Falcons head coach.

Arch Manning dominates in the Texas spring game, and Jaden Rashada enters the transfer portal

Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde react to the huge performance this weekend by Texas QB Arch Manning, Michigan and Notre Dame's spring games, Jaden Rashada entering the transfer portal, and more

The 10 car brands most expensive to maintain over 10 years

Consumer Reports' ranking of the most- and least-expensive vehicles sounds a concerning alarm bell about a few European brands.

Arch Manning puts on a show in Texas' spring game, throwing for 3 touchdowns

Arch Manning gave Texas football fans an enticing look at the future, throwing for 355 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns' Orange-White spring game.

Anthony Davis fed up with not winning Defensive Player of the Year: 'The league doesn't like me'

Does Davis have a DPOY case? The Lakers' star definitely thinks so.

A rare 'devil comet' will reach peak brightness this weekend. Here's how you can see it.

On Sunday, the rare devil comet will reach its closest point to the sun, creating an illuminating sky show. Here is how skygazers can watch it.

Tom Brady will be mercilessly mocked in Netflix's 'Greatest Roast of All Time' comedy special

Get ready for a lot of jokes about Tom Brady never eating strawberries and divorcing one of the most successful supermodels in history.

• News & Coffee time
• In Her Element
• Local Living
• Humor & cartoons
• The Sunny Afternoon Line
• Urban Issues
• Kid’s Corner
• Mindful Health
• Street Style Trieste
• Science In The City
• Illustration
• Food + Wine

Foundations Invest Millions to Illuminate the Human Genome

Friuli venezia giulia and us collaboration strengthens transatlantic ties, cross-border healthcare hub marks milestone in italy-slovenia relations, exploring trieste’s hidden gem: the teresian aqueduct, local’s guide on how to pick and cook carso’s wild garlic, alberto novello, from manzano to manhattan: exploring the analog-digital nexus, what constitutes a perfect night in trieste, discovering villa pia: a mansion in san vito neighborhood overlooking the…, librinfesta dominates ronchi dei legionari with diverse literary events, trieste’s literary kaleidoscope: cultural encounters at ubik bookstore, globesity: a tale of science, intrigue, and the battle for health, royal revelations and literary triumphs: inside italy’s best-selling books of 2023, trio festival returns to trieste: celebrating chamber music excellence, seeds of compassion: honoring franco basaglia’s vision at horti tergestini, trieste welcomes revitalized production of rossini’s cinderella, seas of celebration: mareinfvg’s triumphant third festival, gratitude quotes to uplift and inspire you this sunday afternoon, beating the winter blues in trieste, embracing the new year: daring greatly, “what if…” saying “yes” instead of “no”, national oceanographic data center receives unesco certification for data quality, exploring the depths: seadomake festival dives into ocean conservation, diversity takes center stage at scienza & virgola festival, dr. laura donnay’s journey into theoretical physics and black holes, environmental guardian: dr. eugenia molina’s quest for sustainable seas, rising stars ettore pagano and maximilian kromer to grace trieste’s stage, adriatic harmony: trieste and muggia host annual ‘prua a siroco’ festival, italy seizes world’s biggest yacht in trieste port.

by In Trieste

Italy’s finance police have seized a super-yacht from Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko in the port of Trieste.

The seizure of the 143-m vessel, called ‘SY A’ and valued at €530 million, is as high an eight-storey building and is the largest sailing yacht in the world, reports Italian newspaper   Corriere della Sera .

The move is part of measures taken against Russian tycoons included in the EU ‘black list’ for sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The vessel, which can reportedly accommodate 60 guests and crew, is equipped with a large swimming pool, an underwater observatory and a helipad.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Stay Connected

Recent posts, protests spread from pisa to trieste: demands for reform and solidarity amplify, exploring boundless narratives: the cappella underground’s youth book club unveiled, europe’s annual shift to central european summer time signals seasonal transition, expats in trieste volunteering at the fernetti border, “please, donate”,  “us jury trials: reality vs fiction” with renowned expert steve oberman.

Die italienischen Behörden haben eine weitere Megajacht eines russischen Milliardärs festgesetzt. Das auf einen Wert von rund 530 Millionen Euro geschätzte Schiff mit dem Namen "Sailing Yacht A" liegt jetzt im Hafen von Triest an der nördlichen Adria.

Beamte der italienischen Finanzpolizei setzten es am Freitag fest, wie die Regierung in Rom am Samstag bestätigte. Der knapp 143 Meter lange Dreimaster gilt als größte Segeljacht der Welt.

Die von der deutschen Werft Nobiskrug gebaute Jacht wird dem russischen Kohle-Milliardär Andrej Melnitschenko zugerechnet, der nach Russlands Invasion in die Ukraine auf eine EU-Sanktionsliste kam. Die italienische Finanzpolizei hatte bereits vergangene Woche eine andere mutmaßliche russische Oligarchen-Jacht festgesetzt.

Auch Putins Yacht gerät ins Visier

Außerdem prüfen laut „ New York Times“ die US-Geheimdienste und auch die italienischen Behörden derzeit, ob eine in Marina di Carrara in der Toskana angedockte Megajacht „Scheherazade“ dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin gehöre. Die US-Zeitung berichtete, es gebe Anzeichen dafür. Das Luxusjacht-Unternehmen The Italian Sea Group, das derzeit in einem Trockendock an dem 140 Meter langen Schiff arbeitet, teilte aber mit, dass Putin laut Dokumenten nicht der Besitzer sei.

Keine Zweifel haben die Behörden indes daran, dass die „Sailing Yacht A“ Melnitschenko gehört, der in dieser Woche einen Tag nach seinem 50. Geburtstag auf die Sanktionsliste der EU gesetzt worden war. Der in St. Moritz in der Schweiz wohnhafte Oligarch ist Haupteigner des Düngemittelkonzerns EuroChem und des Kohle-Unternehmens Suek. Beide Firmen gaben am Donnerstag den Rückzug des Milliardärs aus den jeweiligen Vorständen und als Begünstigter bekannt.

Oligarchen-Sprecher: „Werden diese ungerechtfertigten Sanktionen anfechten“

Nach der Beschlagnahmung teilte ein Sprecher Melnitschenkos dem „Stern“ mit: "Wir werden diese unbegründeten und ungerechtfertigten Sanktionen anfechten und glauben, dass die Rechtsstaatlichkeit und der gesunde Menschenverstand sich durchsetzen werden."

Der italienische Finanzminister Daniele Franco lobte am Samstag das Vorgehen der ihm unterstellten Polizei , die gegen Vermögen, Immobilien und andere Luxusgüter russischer Oligarchen vorgehen. „Bis heute wurden Güter im Wert von insgesamt mehr als 700 Millionen Euro beschlagnahmt“, sagte Franco bei einer Veranstaltung in Bergamo.

Weitere Meldungen zum Ukraine-Krieg

• „Wir sitzen in der Scheiße“ - Geheimdienst-Leak? Wenn dieses Papier echt ist, hat Putin ein riesiges Problem

Ein Analyst des russischen Geheimdienstes veröffentlicht eine verheerende Bestandsaufnahme des Angriff-Krieges auf die Ukraine. Eine heftige Kritik aus Putins Sicherheitsapparat. Doch ist sie wirklich echt? Das Dokument hält ersten Überprüfungen von Geheimdienstexperten stand - doch es könnte auch gut gemachte Propaganda sein.

• Gewichtiger Abgang - Der Aderlass im Management von Aeroflot setzt sich fort

Noch ein Abgang bei der russischen Nationlairline: Der stellvertretende Generaldirektor hat seinen Dienst quittiert und Russland verlassen. Unklar ist weiterhin der Verbleib von Chef Mikhail Poluboyarinov.

• „Betet für meine Pferde“ - Ukrainerin lässt ihre Tiere frei, um sie vor „zweiter Bombe“ zu retten

Durch die heftigen Angriffe auf die ukrainische Stadt Irpin nahe Kiew trifft die junge Pferdewirtin Julia eine schwere Entscheidung. Sie lässt ihre geliebten Tiere frei, um sie vor Explosionen zu schützen. Ihr emotionaler Facebook -Post geht im Netz viral. Viele Nutzer fühlen mit der jungen Ukrainerin.

Albanien-Botschafter geht russischen Kollegen wegen Labor-Behauptungen an

Das Ukraine-Update am 23. März

Russen bei kiew zurückgedrängt – mehr waffen für die ukraine: was heute passiert ist.

„Wir unterstützen keinen Diebstahl“

Weil die benzinpreise zu hoch sind, schließt ein tankwart jetzt seine zapfsäulen.

Vorstoß in der Kritik

Lindner beharrt nicht auf tankrabatt und erwägt steuersenkungen.

Fleischkonsum

Mehr schweine geschlachtet in nrw.

Wie Satellitenbilder zeigen

Ukraine kopiert russische abwehrstrategie vor neuer angriffswelle putins.

Geld aus Förderprogramm beantragt

Mega-yacht von russen-oligarch mit deutschem steuergeld gefördert.

63 Gebote bei Versteigerung eingegangen

Oligarchen-yacht „axioma“ unter dem hammer - aber ohne alkohol.

• International

„Sailing Yacht A“: Größte Oligarchen-Segeljacht der Welt in Italien wegen Ukraine-Krieg festgesetzt

Italien setzt oligarchen-schiff fest: größte segeljacht der welt mit eingebautem u-boot.

Die „Sailing Yacht A“ ist 148 Meter lang und 25 Meter breit.

Berlin. Italienische Behörden haben eine weitere Jacht festgesetzt, die einem russischen Milliardär zugerechnet wird. Das auf einen Wert von rund 530 Millionen Euro geschätzte Schiff mit dem Namen „Sailing Yacht A“ liegt im Hafen von Triest. Beamte der italienischen Finanzpolizei setzten es am Freitag fest, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Ansa berichtete.

Die von der deutschen Werft Nobiskrug gebaute Jacht wird dem russischen Kohle-Milliardär Andrej Melnitschenko zugerechnet, der nach Russlands Invasion in die Ukraine auf eine EU-Sanktionsliste gesetzt wurde. Die italienische Finanzpolizei hatte bereits vergangene Woche eine mutmaßliche russische Oligarchen-Jacht festgesetzt.

Die „Sailing Yacht A“ ist knapp 143 Meter lang und fast 25 Meter breit. Laut der Fachzeitschrift „Boote exclusiv“ gibt es auf den Weltmeeren nur wenige Jachten, die noch länger sind als der Dreimaster der Kieler Werft German Naval Yards.

Mit 180 Metern Länge führt die bei Lürssen in Bremen gebaute „Azzam“ die Liste derzeit an, gefolgt von der 163 Meter langen „Eclipse“, die in Hamburg bei Blohm+Voss entstand. „Ich glaube nicht, dass in Zukunft noch einmal eine größere Segeljacht als die „A“ gebaut wird“, sagt „Boote exclusiv“-Chefredakteur Marcus Krall gegenüber der deutschen Presse-Agentur als das Schiff im Jahr 2016 das erste Mal die Segel setzte.

Als Auftraggeber des keilförmigen Dreimasters mit futuristischem Design gilt der russische Milliardär Andrej Melnitschenko.

Je ausgefallener die Wünsche, desto höher der Preis. „Standards gibt es dabei eigentlich nicht“, sagt Claus-Ehlert Meyer, Geschäftsführer des Deutschen Boots- und Schiffbauer-Verbandes der deutschen Presse-Agentur. Die „Sailing Yacht A“ beispielsweise verfügt unterhalb der Wasserlinie über eine Panorama-Lounge und neben Beibooten auch über ein eigenes U-Boot.

Beim Blick auf die 200 längsten Motorjachten der Welt fällt auf, dass ein großer Teil von ihnen in Deutschland entstand. „Die Deutschen bauen zwar bei weitem nicht die meisten Superjachten“, sagt Meyer.

Rund 50 Männer und Frauen arbeiten auf der Superjacht

Die Werften hierzulande bauten aber deutlich größere Luxusschiffe als die Konkurrenz in den Niederlanden oder Italien . Denn die deutschen Schiff- und Bootsbauer hätten das dafür nötige Know-how. Und: „Superjachten von der Stange gibt es nicht.“

Die von der Rendsburger Werft Nobiskrug bei German Naval Yards in Kiel gebaute „Sailing Yacht A“ hat der Designer Philippe Starck entworfen. Der Franzose hatte für den russischen Milliardär Melnitschenko vor Jahren bereits die Motorjacht „A“ ersonnen.

Auf dem Schiff soll illegales Tropenholz verbaut worden sein.

Und was kostet der Betrieb einer Superjacht wie der aus Kiel? „Jährlich fallen Betriebskosten in Höhe von bis zu zehn Prozent des Kaufpreises an“, sagt Krall. Die kolportierten 54 Männer und Frauen Besatzung seien im Vergleich zu so mancher reinen Motorjacht noch relativ wenig.

>> Lesen Sie auch: Deutschland nimmt 2500 ukrainische Flüchtlinge aus Moldau auf – und arbeitet an einer Luftbrücke

„Unterm Strich sind die Eigner solcher Jachten im Jahr nur rund vier Wochen damit unterwegs.“ Den Rest der Zeit liegen die Schiffe im Hafen oder sind unterwegs, um gewünschte Reviere zu erreichen. „Denn deren Eigner fahren meist keine längeren Strecken damit.“

Zwar produzierten die Schiffe ihren eigenen Strom und ihr eigenes Süßwasser, dennoch sei der Verbrauch enorm, sagt Meyer. „So eine Jacht muss man sich vorstellen wie eine Kleinstadt, in die man oben Diesel reinkippt“, sagt der Verbands-Geschäftsführer. Die Umweltauswirkungen ihrer Jachten spielten für die Eigner aber durchaus eine große Rolle: „Denn das ist eine Imagefrage.“

Für das Schiff soll illegales Tropenholz verwendet worden sein

Das Image litt im Jahr 2017, nachdem die Kieler Staatsanwaltschaft veröffentlichte, dass illegales Tropenholz für den Bau der Jacht verwendet worden war. „Wir haben ein Gutachten in Auftrag gegeben und das Ergebnis ist eindeutig“, sagte Oberstaatsanwalt Axel Bieler der deutschen Presse-Agentur.

Es handle sich um Teakholz, das nicht aus einer Plantage stamme. Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittle gegen unbekannt wegen des Verstoßes gegen das Holzhandels-Sicherungs-Gesetz, sagte Bieler.

Zuvor hatten die „Kieler Nachrichten“ darüber berichtet. Ein Sprecher der Werft sagte der Deutschen Presse-Agentur: „Wir haben nach wie vor ein großes Interesse daran, dass der Fall aufgeklärt wird“.

Mit Agenturmaterial

Mehr: Harvard-Ökonom Kenneth Rogoff: „Es ist dem Westen noch nie gelungen, ein Regime mithilfe von Sanktionen zu stürzen“

• Schlagzeilen
• Banken + Versicherungen
• Anlagestrategie
• Musterdepots
• Steuern + Recht
• Geldpolitik
• Tools und Services
• Börsenkurse
• Handel + Konsumgüter
• Dienstleister
• Mittelstand
• Deutschland
• Research Institute
• IT + Telekommunikation
• Künstliche Intelligenz
• Forschung + Innovation
• Medizin + Gesundheit
• Elektromobilität
• Ratgeber + Service
• Karrierecoach
• Chefin zu gewinnen
• Deutscher Wirtschaftsbuchpreis
• Morning Briefing
• Gastbeiträge
• Homo Oeconomicus
• Global Challenges
• Economic Challenges
• Rethink Work
• Green & Energy
• Beyond the obvious
• Wall Street mit Markus Koch
• Unternehmen
• Die neusten Handelsblatt-Ratgeber
• Altersvorsorge
• Geldanlage & Sparen
• Technologie
• Versicherung & Verträge
• Infografiken
• Veranstaltungen

Intuitiv, schnell und immer aktuell - jetzt Handelsblatt App installieren.

• Handelsblatt Börse
• Digital Health
• Energie & Immobilien
• Handelsblatt ePaper
• Handelsblatt Archiv
• Finanzvergleich Anzeige
• Produktvergleich Anzeige
• Abo Vorteile
• Research Institut
• Handelsblatt Shop
• Datenschutzerklärung
• Nutzungsrechte erwerben

Over $2 billion worth of yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs have been seized in Europe so far

• At least 13 luxury boats have been seized in Europe since Putin launched a war on Ukraine.
• The mega yachts are linked to Russian oligarchs and are valued between $8 million and $606 million.
• Not all yachts have been seized, as some billionaires moved their vessels elsewhere.

More than $2 billion worth of mega yachts linked to Russian billionaires have been seized in Europe since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war on Ukraine in late February, Bloomberg reported.

At least 13 yachts valued between $8 million and $606 million have been seized or impounded in the EU and UK as officials continue to sanction Russia's elite, according to the outlet.

The US, alongside the UK and EU, imposed economic sanctions on Russian oligarchs — many of whom moved their mega yachts to regions where they cannot be seized, including the Maldives.

Related stories

It can be tricky to pin down the owners of the yachts, but enough "public speculation" suggesting a Russian oligarch is the owner is typically "sufficient for a seizure," Insider's Joseph Zeballos-Roig and Hillary Hoffower reported. 

Spain is reportedly holding four of these yachts, including the $8 million Lady Anastasia linked to Alexander Mikheev, the $95 million Valerie linked to Sergei Chemezov, the $95 million vessel Tango linked to Viktor Vekselberg, and the $468 million yacht Crescent linked to Igor Sechin.

France holds three more vessels, including another yacht worth $125 million also linked to Sechin called the Amore Vero. The country is also holding two yachts linked to Alexey Kuzmichev — the $22 million Little Bear and the $77 million Big Bear.

Italy is reportedly holding the $34 million Lady M, which is linked to Alexei Mordashov; the $575 million Sailing Yacht A, which is linked to Andrey Melnichenko; and the $38 million Lena, which is linked to Gennady Timchenko.

Germany holds the largest ship, the Dilbar, which is linked to Alisher Usmanov and valued at $606 million. Gibraltar, a British territory, is holding the $68 million Axioma, which is linked to Dmitry Pumpyansky, while England has taken control of the $38 million Phi, linked to Vitaly Kochetkov.

• Main content

Watch CBS News

West hits Russian oligarchs where it hurts — their mega-yachts

By Megan Cerullo

March 7, 2022 / 1:55 PM EST / MoneyWatch

The U.S. and European Union are cracking down on sanctions against Russian billionaires by taking control of their mega yachts and other valuable assets, including villas and private jets, parked in territory over which their governments have jurisdiction. 

Italy on Friday said it seized a $70 million yacht moored in Liguria, Italy, belonging to Alexey Alexandrovits Mordaschov, a steel magnate with close ties to the Kremlin. 

"Italy's police has just seized 'Lady M Yacht' - a €65 million yacht belonging to Alexey Alexandrovits Mordaschov located in Imperia (Liguria) - in compliance with the recent EU sanctions," Ferdinando Giugliano, a media adviser to Italy's prime minister, said in a tweet.

Italy’s police has just seized “Lady M Yacht” - a €65m yacht belonging to Alexey Alexandrovits Mordaschov located in Imperia (Liguria) - in compliance with the recent EU sanctions. pic.twitter.com/8NzqkXH7lE — Ferdinando Giugliano (@FerdiGiugliano) March 4, 2022

On Saturday, Italy's tax police also froze "Lena," a $54 million yacht belonging to Gennady Nikolayevich Timchenko, the founder of a Moscow, Russia-based private investment group and close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the EU has sanctioned.

Assets that cannot be moved are even easier to take possession of, or prevent their owners from accessing. 

Italy also froze a $3.2 million property in Tuscany belonging to Oleg Savchenko, who is among the richest Russian business people. Giugliano tweeted an image of a Ministry of Economy and Finance vehicle in front of the estate, named "Villa Lazzareschi." 

Italy’s tax police also froze “Lena” - a €50m yacht belonging to Gennady Nikolayevich Timchenko located in Sanremo (Liguria) - and “Villa Lazzareschi” - a €3m property belonging to Oleg Savchenko located in the province of Lucca (Tuscany). pic.twitter.com/yc1Q2y4d0G — Ferdinando Giugliano (@FerdiGiugliano) March 5, 2022

President Biden has also said the U.S. government is homing in on Russian oligarchs' super-yachts, private planes and other conspicuous symbols of their wealth as Russian President Vladimir Putin escalates his country's attack on Ukraine.  

A new federal task force, dubbed "KleptoCapture," will take aim at what Mr. Biden described in his State of the Union address on Tuesday as "the crimes of Russian oligarchs."  

"We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets," Mr. Biden said. "We are coming for your ill-begotten gains."

More than a dozen Russian billionaires are under sanction by the U.S., European Union and the United Kingdom, and some are trying to dodge restrictions by moving assets that are mobile — including mega-yachts — into territories where sanctions don't apply and where their property cannot be seized or their assets frozen. 

The super-yacht "Graceful," believed to be owned by Vladimir Putin himself, left Germany two weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine and recently docked in Kaliningrad, near Russia's nuclear weapons operations, data form MarineTraffic, a maritime tracking website, shows. 

Putin ally Roman Abramovich, who made his fortune in the energy business, is not currently on any government sanction lists, but is making moves to unload valuable assets, including Chelsea Football Club. Among those assets is a super-yacht named "Eclipse" that is the third largest pleasure vessel in the world, measuring more than 540 feet long and 72 feet wide, according to Marine Vessel Traffic, a website that tracks the location of ships and other vessels, including privately owned yachts. It recently set sail from St. Barts to Philipsburg, the capital of Sint Maarten — the Dutch side of the Caribbean island Saint Martin.

"Le Grand Bleu," owned by Russian oil titan Eugene Shvidler, is also anchored off the island of St. Martin, where EU sanctions can be enforced. 

Too big to hide

Some oligarchs on sanction lists, who are alleged to have built their wealth in Russia through political corruption, have already been cut off from their own valuable assets. 

The EU's sanctions on Russian oligarchs on Wednesday led to Germany's freezing of a yacht owned by Alisher Usmanov, one of the wealthiest Russians, according to a Forbes report . According to Marine Traffic, the 512-foot yacht, named "Dilbar," had been stationed in Hamburg, Germany, since October 29 for repairs. 

The French Ministry of Economy and Finance on Thursday said its customs agents seized the "Amore Vero" yacht belonging to a company owned by Igor Setchine, director of Russian oil company Rosneft. The yacht had been stationed for repairs in La Ciotat in Southern France's Cote d'Azur region. 

While the crew's intention was to "sail urgently, without having completed the planned work," it was seized before it could depart, the agency said. 

Fleeing hotspots

In hopes of avoiding the same fate, some yacht owners are "hightailing it on the high seas," financier and anti-corruption activist Bill Browder told CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge. 

They are mooring their mega-yachts, some with 100-member-crews, in places like Dubai and the Maldives — a nation of tiny islands in the Indian Ocean, which does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. "They're parking their assets where they cannot be seized," Browder told CBS MoneyWatch. 

The problem is that ships of this size can't stay indefinitely in a place like the Maldives, which can generate significant income through docking fees, given their need to refuel and stock provisions. 

"There are a number of these yachts in the Maldives, and unless those countries put sanctions in place they're probably safer there," Alasdair Milroy, a maritime accountant and owner of Breaking the Mould Accounting, told CBS MoneyWatch. "But you can only spend so long in someplace like the Maldives on a yacht of that size without needing provisions, or to refuel, so I don't know how well that will last for a longer period. I don't think they'll be able to do that for that long."

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who is in charge of the new U.S. task force targeting Russian oligarchs, issued a stark warning: "We will use every tool to freeze and seize your criminal proceeds," she said in a statement.

Confiscating Russian oligarchs' wealth could be an effective tactic, Browder told CBS MoneyWatch. "It's hugely symbolic, and part of this thing is psychological war. This really has an impact — if not financially, then psychologically."

At least 10 of the 100 largest super-yachts in the world belong to Russian oligarchs, according to Marine Vessel Traffic .

Websites tracking maritime activity show that other oligarchs' yachts are on the move as their owners attempt to shield their assets from seizure. The "Galactica Super Nova," a 230-foot long, $80 million vessel owned by Vagit Alekperov, president of Russian oil company Lukoil, recently left its mooring in Barcelona, Spain, where EU sanctions apply, and set sail for Tivat, Montenegro, in the Balkans, according to VesselFinder.com.  

"Clio," a super-yacht owned by Russian industrialist Oleg Deripaska, is currently anchored off of the Maldives, according to MarineTraffic.com . A handful of other oligarch-owned mega-yachts are also moored in the Maldives, including Alexander Abramov's "Titan," Viktor Rashnikov's "Ocean Victory" and Vladimir Potanin's "Nirvana." 

How sanctions work

Placing an individual or their assets under official sanction does not give another government the legal authority to seize their assets — only to freeze or cut off their owner's access. 

"Generally speaking, sanctions are the authority that allow us to freeze assets. They are most easily understood in context of a bank account — it's literally put into a frozen account that still exists and collects interest and you own it, but you can't get any money from it," said Adam M. Smith, a partner at law firm Gibson Dunn. 

Tangible property must also be under the jurisdiction of the U.S. for any sanctions to work, or for the government to cut off their owner's ability to use an asset like a private yacht or jet. 

Daniel P. Ahn, a sanctions and economic warfare expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former chief economist for the U.S. State Department, said that targeting an individual's yacht can limit its use even it isn't seized.

"If it arrives in the West, any port that can refuel is not allowed to do that anymore. So maybe the yacht itself doesn't get seized, but it's a lot less useful thing to have," he said. 

For this reason, sanctioned individuals may choose to try to sell assets like yachts at a loss, rather than risk losing use of them indefinitely. 

"If I was an oligarch, the first thing I would do is I would protest and say I shouldn't be blacklisted. Second would be to see if I can liquidate these assets and claw back something, knowing that otherwise it may rot at the pier without proper maintenance and the like," Ahn said.

As far as their impact goes, the sanctions are more than merely symbolic, he added. "The ultimate objective is to make life very difficult for these oligarchs, and it has been achieved," Ahn said. 

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.

More from CBS News

Israeli strikes in Rafah kill 18, mostly children, Palestinian officials say

Tesla cuts prices around the globe amid slowing demand for its EVs

A TikTok ban was passed by the House. Here's what could happen next.

Celebrity designer faces prison for smuggling crocodile handbags

Russian oligarch's yacht costs U.S. taxpayers close to $1 million a month

A mega-yacht seized by U.S. authorities from a Russian oligarch is costing the government nearly $1 million a month to maintain, according to new court filings.

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking permission to sell a 348-foot yacht called Amadea, which it seized in 2022, alleging that it was owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. The government said it wants to sell the $230 million yacht due to the “excessive costs” of maintenance and crew, which it said could total $922,000 a month.

“It is excessive for taxpayers to pay nearly a million dollars per month to maintain the Amadea when these expenses could be reduced to zero through [a] sale,” according to a court filing by U.S. prosecutors on Friday.

The monthly charges for Amadea, which is now docked in San Diego, California, include $600,000 per month in running costs: $360,000 for the crew; $75,000 for fuel; and $165,000 for maintenance, waste removal, food and other expenses. They also include $144,000 in monthly pro-rata insurance costs and special charges including dry-docking fees, at $178,000, bringing the total to $922,000, according to the filings.

The battle over Amadea and the costs to the government highlight the financial and legal challenges of seizing and selling assets owned by Russian oligarchs after the country’s invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the European Union should use profits from more than $200 billion of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort.

Her comments echoed government calls in the spring of 2022 to freeze the yachts, private jets and mansions of Russian billionaires in hopes of putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and raising money for the war effort.

Yet, nearly two years later, the legal process for proving ownership of the Russian assets and selling them has proven to be far more time-consuming and costly. In London, Russian billionaire Eugene Shvidler has waged a court battle over his private jets that were impounded, and Sergei Naumenko has been appealing the detention of his superyacht Phi.

The battle over Amadea began in April 2022, when it was seized in Fiji at the request of the U.S. government, according to the court filings.

Though the U.S. alleges that the yacht is owned by Kerimov, who made his fortune in mining, attorneys for Eduard Khudainatov, an ex-Rosneft CEO who has not been sanctioned, say he owns the yacht, and have sought to take back possession of the vessel.

In court filings, Khudainatov’s attorneys have objected to the U.S. government’s efforts to sell the yacht, saying a rushed sale could lead to a distressed sale price and that the maintenance costs are minor relative to the potential sale value.

Khudainatov’s attorneys refuse to pay the ongoing maintenance costs as long as the government pursues a sale and forfeiture. However, they say their client will reimburse the U.S. government for the more than $20 million already spent to maintain the yacht if it’s returned to its proper owner.

In court papers, the government says Kerimov disguised his ownership of Amadea through a series of shell companies and other owners. They say emails between crew members show Kerimov “was the beneficial owner of the yacht, irrespective of the titleholder of the vessel.”

The emails show that Kerimov and his family ordered several interior improvements of the yacht, including a new pizza oven and spa, and that between 2021 and 2022, when the boat was seized, “there were no guest trips on the Amadea that did not include either Kerimov or his family members,” according to the court filings.

The government also says Kerimov has been trying to sell Amadea for years, so a sale would be in keeping with his intent.

“This is not a situation in which a court would be ordering sale of a precious heirloom that a claimant desperately wishes to keep for sentimental reasons,” the government said in filings.

Even if Amadea were sold quickly, the proceeds wouldn’t automatically go to the government. Under law, the money would be held while Khudainatov and the government continue their battle in court over the ownership and forfeiture.

More from CNBC:

• Powell reinforces position that the Fed is not ready to start cutting interest rates
• Bill Gates-backed startup confident it can unearth more buried treasure after a historic copper find
• OpenAI shares Elon Musk emails urging startup to raise $1 billion, see Tesla as a cash cow

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

US seizes yacht owned by oligarch with close ties to Putin

A Civil Guard stands by the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. All of Vekselberg’s assets in the U.S. are frozen and U.S. companies are forbidden from doing business with him and his entities. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

Civil Guards accompany U.S. FBI agents and a U.S.Homeland Security agent from the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

A U.S. federal agent leaves the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

A Civil Guard officer accompanies a U.S.Homeland Security agent and an FBI agent from the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

A U.S. federal agent and two Civil Guards board the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. All of Vekselberg’s assets in the U.S. are frozen and U.S. companies are forbidden from doing business with him and his entities. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

Civil Guards stand by the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. All of Vekselberg’s assets in the U.S. are frozen and U.S. companies are forbidden from doing business with him and his entities. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

A U.S. federal agent walks past two Civil Guards on the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. All of Vekselberg’s assets in the U.S. are frozen and U.S. companies are forbidden from doing business with him and his entities. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

Civil Guards officers accompany identified people from the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

A Civil Guard and a police dog walk off the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022. U.S. federal agents and Spain’s Civil Guard are searching the yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. All of Vekselberg’s assets in the U.S. are frozen and U.S. companies are forbidden from doing business with him and his entities. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

• Copy Link copied

PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain (AP) — The U.S. government on Monday seized a 254-foot yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a first by the Biden administration under sanctions imposed after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and targeting pricey assets of Russian elites .

Spain’s Civil Guard and U.S. federal agents descended on the Tango at the Marina Real in the port of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Associated Press reporters at the scene saw police going in and out of the boat.

The U.S. Justice Department, which obtained a warrant from a federal judge in Washington, alleges the yacht should be forfeited for violating U.S. bank fraud, money laundering and sanctions statutes.

Superyachtfan.com, a specialized website that tracks the world’s largest and most exclusive recreational boats, values the 78-meter vessel, which carries the Cook Islands flag, at $120 million.

The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg , a billionaire and close Putin ally who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents.

All of Vekselberg’s assets in the United States are frozen and American companies are barred from doing business with him and his entities. The Ukrainian-born businessman built his fortune by investing in the aluminum and oil industries in the post-Soviet era.

Prosecutors allege Vekselberg bought the Tango in 2011 and has owned it since then, though they believe he has used shell companies to try to obfuscate his ownership and to avoid financial oversight.

They contend Vekselberg and those working for him continued to make payments using U.S. banks to support and maintain the yacht, even after sanctions were imposed on him in 2018. Those payments included a stay in December 2020 at a luxury water villa resort in the Maldives and fees to moor the yacht.

It’s the first U.S. seizure of an oligarch’s yacht since U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen assembled a task force known as REPO — short for Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs — as an effort to enforce sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

“It will not be the last.” Garland said in a statement. “Together, with our international partners, we will do everything possible to hold accountable any individual whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue its unjust war.”

Vekselberg has long had ties to the U.S., including a green card he once held and homes in New York and Connecticut. He was also questioned in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and has worked closely with his American cousin, Andrew Intrater, who heads the New York investment management firm Columbus Nova.

Vekselberg and Intrater were thrust into the spotlight in that investigation after the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels released a memo that claimed $500,000 in hush money was routed through Columbus Nova to a shell company set up by Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Columbus Nova denied that Vekselberg played any role in its payments to Cohen.

Vekselberg and Intrater met with Cohen at Trump Tower, one of several meetings between members of Trump’s inner circle and high-level Russians during Trump’s 2016 campaign and the transition before his presidency.

The 64-year-old Vekselberg founded Renova Group more than three decades ago. The group holds the largest stake in United Co. Rusal, Russia’s biggest aluminum producer, among other investments.

Vekselberg was first sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018, and again in March of this year, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began. Vekselberg has also been sanctioned by authorities in the United Kingdom.

The yacht sails under the Cook Islands flag and is owned by a company registered in the British Virgin Islands administered by different societies in Panama, the Civil Guard said, “following a complicated financial and societal web to conceal its truthful ownership.”

Agents confiscated documents and computers inside the yacht that will be analyzed to confirm he real identity of the owner, it said.

The U.S. Justice Department has also launched a sanctions enforcement task force known as KleptoCapture, which also aims to enforce financial restrictions in the U.S. imposed on Russia and its billionaires, working with the FBI, the U.S. Treasury and other federal agencies. That task force will also target financial institutions and entities that have helped oligarchs move money to dodge sanctions.

The White House has said that many allied countries, including German, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and others are involved in trying to collect and share information against Russians targeted for sanctions. In his State of the Union address on March 1, President Joe Biden warned oligarchs that the U.S. and European allies would “find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.”

“We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” he said.

Monday’s capture is not the first time Spanish authorities have been involved in the seizure of a Russian oligarch’s superyacht. Officials said they had seized a vessel valued at over $140 million owned by the CEO of a state-owned defense conglomerate and a close Putin ally.

French authorities have seized superyachts, including one believed to belong to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs Russian oil giant Rosneft, which has been on the U.S. sanctions list since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Italy has seized several yachts and other assets.

Italian financial police moved quickly seizing the superyacht Lena belonging to Gennady Timchenko, an oligarch close to Putin, in the port of San Remo; the 65-meter (215-foot) Lady M owned by Alexei Mordashov in nearby Imperia, featuring six suites and estimated to be worth 65 million euros; as well as villas in Tuscany and Como, according to government officials.

Parra reported from Madrid and Balsamo reported from Washington.

Putin-Allied Oligarch's $860 Million Superyacht, The Largest Sailboat In The World, Abandoned After It Was Seized As Part Of Ukraine War Sanctions

A Russian oligarch, who spent four years and $860 million building a superyacht, has abandoned the vessel for the last two years after it was seized by Italian police in March 2022.

Italy took the step to comply with European Union sanctions against Russian oligarchs who have supported their country’s war with Ukraine.

The vessel, constructed by German Naval Yards, is gargantuan in size and has three masts that tower 300 feet high and a length stretching to 468 feet long. These dimensions make this boat the largest current sailboat in the world.

Its height surpasses that of Big Ben by approximately ten feet. The boat is considered to be a medium-sized cargo ship and can reach speeds up to 20.8 knots or 24 miles per hour.

Since its seizure in 2022, the yacht has been sitting in the custody of the Italian government, waiting dormant off of the coast in the Trieste Gulf. The Italian government claimed that they have spent over $11.5 million on the upkeep of the ship.

The yacht is owned by Russian business tycoon Andrey Melnichenko , who is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘s top allies.

Melnichenko made his fortune off of a fertilizer company and a coal company, which have made him one of the richest men in the world.

Melnichenko is among 36 wealthy Russian businessmen sanctioned by the E.U., whose assets may be subject to seizure.

This yacht seizure is just a small part of many repossessions of Russian goods by the Italian government since 2022 – it is estimated that a total of $230 million in Russian property has been appropriated.

In October 2023, the United States government seized a 348-foot yacht originally owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov .

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that the war in Ukraine was “a tragedy.”

Source: uInterview

The post Putin-Allied Oligarch’s $860 Million Superyacht, The Largest Sailboat In The World, Abandoned After It Was Seized As Part Of Ukraine War Sanctions appeared first on uInterview .

That’s Not My Yacht: Here’s How Russian Oligarchs Are Hiding $100 Million Boats

Get the latest from vice news in your inbox. sign up right here..

By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.