russian luxury yacht seized

U.S. says Fiji seized Russian billionaire’s $300 million superyacht

A $300 million yacht allegedly owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov has been seized by Fijian authorities at the request of the U.S., the Justice Department announced Thursday.

The 348-foot luxury vessel, known as the Amadea, was seized after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that it was subject to forfeiture based on probable cause of sanctions violations.

The U.S. government had said in court papers that "Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit caused U.S. dollar transactions for the AMADEA to be sent through U.S. financial institutions, after a time which Kerimov was designated by the Treasury Department."

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the ruling should make clear that "there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws, and there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime."

“The Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine," Garland added.

A lawyer for Kerimov in France did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for the company listed as owning the yacht have denied that Kerimov has any connection to it.

The move came as Western nations have ramped up efforts to seize and freeze assets around the world owned by sanctioned Russian elites with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

A billionaire who has been called the “Russian Gatsby,” Kerimov is one of the richest people in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index . Much of his wealth is thought to stem from his family’s stake in Polyus — the largest gold producer in Russia. 

In 2018, Kerimov was sanctioned by the U.S., along with seven other Russian oligarchs, for benefitting from the Putin regime and Russia’s “malign activity around the globe,” including the occupation of Crimea and efforts to subvert Western democracies. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kerimov was hit with additional sanctions by Canada, the U.K. and the E.U. 

The Amadea arrived in Fiji last month. The vessel was “restrained from leaving Fijian waters” until a warrant to seize the yacht was finalized by U.S. authorities, Fiji’s public prosecutor, Christopher Pryde, said in a statement at the time. 

NBC News last month published an investigation , in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other media partners, into how Kerimov and his associates used a maze of corporate structures to move more than $700 million in wire transfers from 2012 to 2014. 

The investigation reviewed major financial record leaks — including the Pandora Papers and the FinCEN Files — to identify the wire transfers and connect the companies behind them to Kerimov and his associates. While rich people around the world use creative tactics to protect their wealth, the documents revealed the exceptional steps the billionaire and his associates have taken in the past and highlight the challenges ahead for authorities seeking to stem the flow of money to Putin’s inner circle. 

On April 6, reports emerged that the European Union was considering adding Kerimov’s son Said to its sanctions list, and within hours Polyus announced that the younger Kerimov had resigned from its board of directors and sold off nearly half of his shares in the company, distancing the company in the event that Said was sanctioned. 

Days later the E.U. sanctioned Said for being “associated with a leading businessperson” who provides “a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation,” according to the sanctions announcement. The U.K. followed suit the next week. 

Kerimov’s assets have included a $190 million estate in the French Riviera, according to French prosecutors.

Despite holding diplomatic immunity, Kerimov was arrested in France in 2017 in connection with a tax evasion and money laundering case over the purchase of the property.

French authorities accused Kerimov of purchasing the multimillion-dollar villa and three others through a front man. Charges against Kerimov were later dropped, but the company used to purchase the property paid out approximately $12 million in back taxes and fines. 

Lawyers for Kerimov have denied that he owned the property.

"After several years of investigation, no incrimination has been brought against our client," one of his lawyers told NBC News.

But an official from the prosecutor’s office in Nice said the investigation has not been closed. 

The companies used to purchase the four villas in the south of France were transferred to Kerimov’s eldest daughter from May to November of last year, according to French company register records.

Kerimov’s son and daughter did not respond to requests for comment at the time.

Kenzi Abou-Sabe is a reporter and producer in the NBC News Investigative Unit.

Tom Winter is a New York-based correspondent covering crime, courts, terrorism and financial fraud on the East Coast for the NBC News Investigative Unit.

Yasmine Salam is an associate producer with the NBC News Investigative Unit. Previously she worked in the London Bureau, covering international stories.

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$300 Million Yacht of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch Suleiman Kerimov Seized by Fiji at Request of United States

Fijian law enforcement executed a seizure warrant freezing the Motor Yacht Amadea (the Amadea), a 348-foot luxury vessel owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. Fijian law enforcement, with the support and assistance of the FBI, acted pursuant to a mutual legal assistance request from the U.S. Department of Justice following issuance of a seizure warrant from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which found that the Amadea is subject to forfeiture based on probable cause of violations of U.S. law, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), money laundering and conspiracy.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Kerimov as part of a group of Russian oligarchs who profit from the Russian government through corruption and its malign activity around the globe, including the occupation of Crimea. In sanctioning Kerimov, the Treasury Department also cited Kerimov as an official of the Government of the Russian Federation and a member of the Russian Federation Counsel.

According to court documents, Kerimov owned the Amadea after his designation. Additionally, Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit caused U.S. dollar transactions to be routed through U.S. financial institutions for the support and maintenance of the Amadea.

“This ruling should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws. And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine.”

“Last month, I warned that the department had its eyes on every yacht purchased with dirty money,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide – not even in the remotest part of the world. We will use every means of enforcing the sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine.”

“This seizure demonstrates the FBI's persistence in pursuing sanctioned Russian oligarchs attempting to evade accountability for their role in jeopardizing our national security,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI, along with our international partners, will continue to seek out those individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russia’s malign activities and ensure they are brought to justice, regardless of where, or how, they attempt to hide.”

“This seizure of Suleiman Kerimov’s vessel, the Amadea, nearly 8,000 miles from Washington, D.C., symbolizes the reach of the Department of Justice as we continue to work with our global partners to disrupt the sense of impunity of those who have supported corruption and the suffering of so many,” said Director Andrew Adams of Task Force KleptoCapture. “This Task Force will continue to bring to bear every resource available in this unprecedented, multinational series of enforcement actions against the Russian regime and its enablers.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service will continue to contribute our expertise in support of Task Force efforts to take possession of seized assets of Russian oligarchs during these forfeiture operations,” said Director Ronald L. Davis of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

The seizure was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2 and run out of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

Upon receipt of a mutual legal assistance request from the United States, Fijian authorities executed the request, obtaining a domestic seizure warrant from a Fijian court.

The Amadea, International Maritime Organization number 1012531, is believed to be worth approximately $300 million or more. The yacht is now in Lautoka, Fiji.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office with assistance from the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Canberra, Australia, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji.

Trial Attorney Andrew D. Beaty of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Trial Attorney Joshua L. Sohn of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are handling the seizure. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service provided significant assistance. The United States thanks the Fijian authorities for their cooperation in this matter.

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Russian oligarch’s $300 million yacht seized by Fiji on behalf of U.S.

The $300 million superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov was seized Thursday by Fijian authorities on behalf of the United States as part of the ongoing efforts to sanction and punish Russia’s elite in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

On Friday, Italian financial authorities said they have frozen a $700 million megayacht that has been linked in media reports and by anti-Kremlin groups to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Justice Department announced that Fiji executed a seizure warrant on the Amadea, a 348-foot-long luxury vessel that authorities say was “subject to forfeiture based on probable cause of violations of U.S. law.” Kerimov, one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals, who built his fortune in gold mining and is a political ally of Putin, has been identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as an official of the government of the Russian Federation and a member of the Russian Federation Council.

Amadea was owned by Kerimov at the time of his sanctioning by the United States, Britain and the European Union in early March, authorities say in the seizure warrant , and U.S. financial transactions were routed through U.S. banking institutions by him and associates of his for maintenance of the vessel. Kerimov is among the Russian oligarchs who have been sanctioned during Russia’s war in Ukraine for profiting “from the Russian government through corruption and its malign activity around the globe,” according to the Justice Department.

“Last month, I warned that the department had its eyes on every yacht purchased with dirty money,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco wrote in a statement. “This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide, not even in the remotest part of the world. We will use every means of enforcing the sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland echoed Monaco’s sentiments on Russian oligarchs, saying, “There is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws.”

“And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime,” he said in a statement.

Nikita Sichov, a lawyer in Cannes, France, whose firm represents Kerimov, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Feizal Haniff, a lawyer representing Millemarin Investments, the company to which the luxury ship is registered, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Haniff has argued in court in Fiji that Amadea’s owner is not Kerimov but Eduard Khudainatov, a former executive at Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned oil company, who is not under sanction, according to CBS News .

Putin allies have tried to find safe waters for their superyachts during the war. In March, the French Finance Ministry announced it had seized the Amore Vero, the $120 million, 281-foot-long superyacht owned by the Russian oligarch Igor Sechin. Other yachts owned by Russian oligarchs have been docked around the world, and some have been on the move to avoid being detained or seized.

In announcing the freeze of the yacht, known as the Scheherazade, on Friday, Italy’s finance ministry said the vessel’s owner had “prominent” links with Russians already under European Union sanctions. The name of the owner was not specified, and Italy only said its government had asked the E.U. to add the person to its sanctions list.

The move comes after Italian investigators had raced to investigate the vessel and prevent it from leaving the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara, where the yacht had been undergoing repairs since before the war.

In March, an investigation by the Italian daily La Stampa named the boat’s owner as Khudainatov. But the newspaper also raised a question about how somebody not listed as a billionaire could afford to purchase one of the world’s most luxurious yachts.

Investigators working for jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny say the yacht’s owner is Putin himself. In March, Navalny’s team published what it said was the crew list of people who had worked on the yacht. They purportedly include members of the Russian state agency responsible for Putin’s personal protection.

Italy had earlier frozen a $560 million megayacht connected to Andrey Melnichenko, a coal and fertilizer tycoon who is one of Russia’s 10 richest people. Italy has also frozen villas that oligarchs use as summer getaways.

As part of a $33 billion spending package unveiled last week that would provide military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, President Biden proposed liquidating the seized assets of Russian oligarchs and donating the proceeds to Ukraine. The president’s proposal would require broad new legal powers, but Biden suggested that he saw a powerful symbolism in the move.

“We’re going to seize their yachts, their luxury homes and other ill-begotten gains,” he said.

Biden seeks a dramatic increase in aid for Ukraine

The White House did not release details of the proposal but noted that it would improve the government’s ability to send seized funds to Ukraine. Under current law, the United States typically can only freeze — not seize or liquidate — the assets of sanctioned individuals. Russian officials have vowed to retaliate against the White House move and have urged the affected oligarchs to take legal action.

Considerable hurdles remain for the United States in effecting sanctions on Russian oligarchs . Gaping holes in wire transactions — which now reside in a database maintained by the Treasury Department — underscore how difficult it is to locate, let alone freeze, Russian-connected assets that have been moved into offshore accounts over the past decade.

Pandora Papers: U.S. Hunt for Russian oligarchs' huge fortunes faces barriers offshore

Kerimov, 56, was listed by Forbes as Russia’s richest man two years ago, but his fortune has shrunk since then. Nevertheless, it remains considerable at about $13 billion, according to Forbes.

Amadea, which was built in 2016 by the German shipyard Lürssen, can accommodate 18 guests and 36 crew members, and its amenities include a large swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a helicopter landing platform and a winter garden on the sun deck, according to Superyacht Fan , a website tracking luxury yachts.

Kerimov was first put under sanctions by the United States in 2018. Britain and the E.U. followed suit last month as part of a global crackdown in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The seizure of the superyacht was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, which is dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures imposed by the United States and its allies, authorities say. Sometime after the yacht docked in Lautoka, Fiji, in April, local authorities, with a “mutual legal assistance request from the United States,” obtained a domestic seizure warrant from the Fijian court, according to the Justice Department.

Andrew Adams, the director of Task Force KleptoCapture, celebrated what he described as an “unprecedented, multinational series of enforcement actions against the Russian regime and its enablers.”

“This seizure of Suleiman Kerimov’s vessel, the Amadea, nearly 8,000 miles from Washington, D.C., symbolizes the reach of the Department of Justice as we continue to work with our global partners to disrupt the sense of impunity of those who have supported corruption and the suffering of so many,” Adams said in a statement.

Greg Miller, Bryan Pietsch, Missy Ryan, Jeff Stein, Matt Viser, Chico Harlan and Spencer Woodman contributed to this report.

Watch CBS News

Court in Fiji approves U.S. warrant to seize Russian-owned mega-yacht

By Graham Kates

May 3, 2022 / 9:32 AM EDT / CBS News

Fiji's High Court on Tuesday ruled that a massive Russian-owned yacht can be seized by U.S. authorities.

American and Fijian officials claim the Cayman Islands-flagged Amadea is the property of Suleiman Kerimov, an oligarch who built his fortune on gold mining. Kerimov was sanctioned in March by the United States, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine . 

But an attorney who represents Millemarin Investments, the company the $325 million ship is registered to, said it's not owned by Kerimov. Instead, he argued in court that corporate paperwork traces the ship's ownership to Eduard Khudainatov, a former executive at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov could not be reached for comment. The company intends to appeal Tuesday's decision.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, according to local reports and the maritime analytics website Marine Traffic. Soon after, a federal judge approved a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's top prosecutor moved to prevent the ship from leaving.

• Russian oligarchs moving yachts as U.S. tracks down assets

The Department of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment. 

On April 4, the agency announced that Spanish authorities had assisted it in seizing another Russian yacht, the $90 million Tango, which was owned by Viktor Vekselberg, the owner of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group.

Legislation passed by the House of Representatives on April 27 would allow the U.S. to sell the yacht and other properties worth more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs in order to fund the Ukrainian war effort. President Joe Biden supports the bill, which has yet to pass the Senate.

"We're going to seize their yachts, their luxury homes and other ill-begotten gains," Biden said on April 28 at the White House.

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]

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Trying to sell Russian oligarch's seized luxury assets is running into trouble

Jackie Northam

After Western governments seized millions in assets from Russian oligarchs, a question remains: What should be done with their yachts?

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

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Photos show the luxury mega yachts that belong to Russian oligarchs — some of whom have hidden their ships as the UK ramps up sanctions.

• Sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs threaten their luxury assets — including their mega yachts.
• Many countries have implemented sanctions targeting Putin and Russian oligarchs following Russia's attack on Ukraine.
• Insider compiled a photo list of some of the luxury vessels.

Russian billionaires' assets — including their megayachts — are in danger of being seized as countries continue to impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden announced that the US will make a substantial effort to seize Russian oligarchs' assets.

"We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets," Biden said in his State of The Union address on March 1. "We are coming for your ill-begotten gains."

Since the US is not in "armed conflict" with Russia it may be legally tricky to seize assets like yachts, Insider reported . 

"The threshold for seizing assets under sanctions is that the US has to be in armed conflict with the owner of the assets," Brian O'Toole, an economic sanctions expert, tweeted last Friday. "The idea of turning Russian corruption into Ukrainian assistance is lovely but this idea is illegal, period."

It can also be difficult to find out who the owners of these yachts are.

Offshore companies typically own the luxury vessels, but enough "public speculation" pointing to a Russian oligarch as an owner is likely "sufficient for a seizure," Insider reported . 

Many of the oligarchs moved their yachts to places where they can't be seized, such as the Maldives, which does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

Insider has compiled a list of photos with mega yachts linked to Russian oligarchs.

Galactica Super Nova

Amid sanctions and seizures targeting Russian billionaires, Galactica Super Nova — said to be linked to the CEO of Russian oil firm Lukoil — is no longer detectable via ship tracker site MarineTraffic , The Daily Beast reported Thursday. 

The superyacht — whose owner is named Vagit Alekperov — had just been in Montenegro last week, Insider reported .

Alekperov is not currently the target of any sanctions. 

The yacht is almost 230 feet long and can hold up to 12 guests and 16 crew members, according to the ship maker Heesen Yachts .

The ship also has a helicopter pad that can turn into an outdoor movie theatre, also according to the ship maker.

The Amore Vero

France seized Amore Vero, a 281-foot megayacht linked to oligarch and politician Igor Sechin, on March 3.

The yacht, Amore Vero, is estimated to have a value of $120 million . It has a swimming pool that doubles as a helicopter pad and a private deck for its owner, according to Oceana , the ship maker.

Per The Wall Street Journal , officials believe that Amore Vero is "owned by a company whose majority shareholder was Mr. Sechin," though the outlet does not provide the name of the company.

Sechin is the CEO of Rosneft, Russia's oil giant, and a former deputy prime minister. A known Putin ally , he was sanctioned by both the EU and the US before France seized his yacht last week .

Sechin was one of seven oligarchs sanctioned by the UK on Thursday. 

People in Russia have referred to Sechin as "Darth Vader" and "the scariest man on Earth," according to The Guardian .

Alisher Usmanov has been sanctioned by the EU, the US, the UK, and Switzerland. His boat remains in Germany, but the country says it hasn't seized it.

Usmanov's Dilbar is "is the largest motor yacht in the world by gross tonnage," according to Lürssen , the German ship's maker.

It's 512-foot long and weighs 15,917 tons. The ship has been docked in Germany for months undergoing a "refitting," but last week Forbes reported that it was unable to leave the dock.

Germany, however, has denied that it formally seized Dilbar.

Forbes said that "the German federal customs agency is the 'responsible enforcement authority' and would have to issue an export waiver for the yacht to leave, and that 'no yacht leaves port that is not allowed to do so.'" 

Still, multiple outlets reported that Usmanov has fired the crew on the Dilbar.

The Uzbekistan-born oligarch is a supporter of Putin. 

"I am proud that I know Putin, and the fact that everybody does not like him is not Putin's problem," Usmanov told Forbes  in a 2010 interview. 

Suleyman Kerimov was sanctioned by the US, and his son, Said Kerimov, owns ICE. The superyacht is worth is an estimated $170 million.

The Kerimov family owns the majority of Polyus Gold, Russia's biggest gold producer .

ICE was dubbed "Superyacht of the Year" in 2006 at the World Super Yacht Awards, according to Boat International . It is approximately 300 feet and has its own resident helicopter, according to Club Yacht .

Quantum Blue

Sergey Galitsky's ship, Quantum Blue, has an estimated value of $250 million and is last known to be docked in Monaco.

Galitsky is the founder of one of Russia's largest supermarket chains, Magnit.

His name is not currently on the list of sanctioned Russian oligarchs,

Though he also is not the target of any current sanctions, Vladimir Potanin's superyacht, Nirvana, is one of at least four ships docked in the Maldives .

Potanin is the Former First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and was a longtime trustee for the Guggenheim museum before stepping down on March 2, according to The New York Times . 

Nirvana is not Potanin's only superyacht, he also owns another named Barbara, according to Fortune .

Alexander Abramov's Titan, Alexei Mordashovis' Nord, and Oleg Deripaska's Clio are also located in the Maldives.

At 533 feet long, Roman Abramovich's Eclipse was the largest yacht on the globe until 2013 when the 590-foot Azzam overthrew it. 

Abramovich, once Russia's richest man , is the departing owner of Chelsea FC soccer club. He was sanctioned by the UK on Thursday along with six other oligarchs, Insider reported .

The luxury boat has a host of amenities, including two helicopter pads, a missile detection system, and a swimming pool more than 50 feet long. It also has space for up to 36 guests and 70 crew members, according to Yacht Harbour .

Insider previously reported that it is currently docked in the Caribbean .

Another yacht named Solaris is linked to Abramovich. The vessel, worth approximately $600 million, left Spain Tuesday after having been under repair since late 2021, Insider reported.

Solaris is 460 feet and can host a total of 36 guests, according to SuperYachtFan .

Tango, owned by the US-sanctioned Viktor Vekselberg, is currently located in Palma, Spain.

Tango can host up to 14 people and is 254 feet long, won the 2012 World Superyacht Awards, and has an estimated worth of $120 million, according to SuperYachtFan .

Vekselberg is a Ukrainian-born businessman who owns Renova, a Russian conglomerate, according to The Guardian .

He was one of nearly two dozen Russian oligarchs and officials that the US sanctioned on Friday.

The US Treasury Department claims that he has close ties with Putin, and has announced that assets such as his $90 million jet and his superyacht Tango have been frozen, Insider reported .

Graceful, a yacht reported to belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin, left Germany just before his invasion of Ukraine, Insider reported in early February.

—Manu Gómez (@GDarkconrad) February 9, 2022

Graceful is 270 feet long and has a saloon, gym, spa, library, and an indoor pool nearly 50 feet long that doubles as a dance floor.

Scheherazade

A mystery yacht remains untouched as the owner remains a mystery.

The owner of the 459-foot Scheherazade is suspected to be a Russian billionaire, though the owner was never publically identified, The New York Times reported .

Many people believe it belongs to Vladimir Putin, nicknaming the vessel "Putin's Yacht."

SuperYachtFan estimates the ship's value sits at $700 million.

Stella Maris

Stella Maris is linked to oil and gas tycoon Rashid Sardarov. It was last seen in Nice, France, according to The Washington Post .

The luxury vessel is priced at $75 million, is 237 feet long, and can hold up to 14 guests, per SuperYachtFan .

Sardarov is not being sanctioned. 

Sailing Yacht A

Sailing Yacht A is believed to belong to Andrey Melnichenko. The boat was seized by Spanish officials Saturday, Reuters reported .

The ship is more than 465 feet long and can hold up to 20 guests, according to SuperYachtFan . The website says that Sailing Yacht A also features an underwater observation area and has a value of more than $500 million.

Melnichenko is an EU-sanctioned Russian billionaire who works in coal and fertilizers, according to Forbes . The magazine also reported that he owns a second yacht, Motor Yacht A, which is similar to a submarine. 

Oligarch Gennady Timchenko's superyacht "Lena" was seized in the port of Sanremo, Italy on March 5, Reuters reported.

Timchenko is the owner of a private investment group, Volga Group and a shareholder of Bank Rossiya. The oligarch has been sanctioned by the EU, which describes him as a "long-time acquaintance of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin."

Timchenko was also sanctioned by the UK on February 22. 

The superyacht is valued at around 50 million euros ($54 million), Reuters reported. It has fold-down terraces, as well as an "owner's suite" which opens out onto the sea with "gull-wing doors," according to its manufacturer, Sanlorenzo.

Italian authorities also seized a $71 million super-yacht belonging to one of the wealthiest men in Russia , Alexei Mordashov. 

The 215-ft "Lady M" superyacht was seized in the Port of Imperia, northern Italy, a source confirmed to Reuters.

The yacht can accommodate up to six guests on and also has accommodation for four crew members, per the Superyacht Times .

The oligarch, who is the chairman of steel mining company, Severstal, has also been sanctioned by the EU, which says Mordashov is "benefiting from his links with Russian decision-makers." Mordashov has insisted he has "absolutely nothing to do" with Russia's attack on Ukraine. 

The Oligarch moved $1.3 billion worth of shares in travel company, TUI, to an offshore tax haven on the day he was hit by sanctions, Insider's Huileng Tan previously reported. 

He was also added to the UK government's sanctions list on March 15.

Some superyachts belonging to Russian billionaires are currently seeking refuge in the Maldives, including a yacht owned by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, Reuters reported.

The billionaire, who is also the founder of one of Russia's largest industrial groups, Basic Element, was added to the UK's sanctions list on March 10.

Also built by Lürssen, the superyacht - which is around 238 feet long - can accommodate 18 guests in nine cabins, per Superyacht Fan.

The superyacht Valerie - worth $140 million - was seized in Barcelona on Monday, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said on La Sexta television, per Reuters.  

Sanchez did not confirm the owner of the yacht, but two sources confirmed to Reuters that it belonged to Sergei Chemezov, who is said to be a close ally of Putin.

The oligarch, who was previously a KGB spy with Putin in the former Soviet Union, recently said that Russia would emerge victorious from Western sanctions, Reuters previously reported . 

Chemezov, who is the CEO of Russian defense conglomerate Rostec was added to the US sanctions list on March 3. 

His yacht is 279 feet long and can accommodate 17 guests in eight suites, per Superyacht Fan.

Crescent, most likely owned by Igor Sechin but also rumored to belong to Putin, was the third yacht Spain seized as the West ramps up sanctions, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The superyacht is 443-feet long and costs an estimated $600 million, according to  SuperyachtFan, which also says the vessel hosts a retractable helicopter hangar and a large pool with a glass bottom.

Lady Anastasia

Lady Anastasia is owned by Russian oligarch Alexander Mikheyev but was seized by Spain on Tuesday, according to Reuters . 

The boat is almost 160 feet long and can hold up to 10 guests, according to Yacht Harbour .

Mikheyev, who was sanctioned by the EU, is the head of a helicopters division under Rostec, New York Mag reported .

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What happened to Russia’s seized superyachts?

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US, allies seizing luxury yachts of Russian oligarchs in sanctions for war on Ukraine

As economic reprisals continue against russia, super-yachts worth millions are impounded in european ports to punish putin allies..

The U.S. and its allies are seizing Russian billionaires' luxury yachts – some of them longer than a football field and equipped with helipads, swimming pools and wine cellars – as part of sanctions against Russia for its brutal war on Ukraine .

At least 13 ships, with a combined value of  more than $2 billion , are reported to have been impounded since March 2. Though value estimates vary, the most expensive one is assessed at $600 million.

The vessels are owned by wealthy oligarchs , Russian businessmen with ties to President Vladimir Putin. U.S. and European Union sanctions, intended to put financial pressure on Russia, are freezing the assets of Putin associates. Those assets include bank accounts, property and possessions, including aircraft and yachts.

Seizing yachts, however, usually comes with costly and time-consuming problems for their owners and the impounding authority, and it can result in damage to the ships as well.

Whose yachts have been seized?

• Size: 280 ft.
• Value: $120 million
• Owned by: Igor Sechin, CEO, Russian state oil company Rosneft; sanctioned Feb. 28
• Seized in: France
• When: March 2
• Size: 126 ft.
• Value: $8 million
• Owned by: Gennady Timchenko, energy magnate; sanctioned March 24
• Seized in: Italy
• When: March 5
• Size: 215 ft.
• Value:  Up to $70 million
• Owned by: Alexei Mordashov, Russia's richest businessman; sanctioned Feb. 28
• When: March 7

Sailing Yacht A

• Size: 469 ft.
• Value: $580 million
• Owned by: Andrey Melnichenko, fertilizer magnate; sanctioned March 9
• Size: 279 ft.
• Value: $140 million
• Owned by: Sergey Chemezov, former KGB officer who heads Rostec, a Russian industrial and military conglomerate; sanctioned April 28
• Seized in: Spain
• When: March 14

Lady Anastasia

• Size: 157 ft.
• Owned by: Alexander Mikheyev, a former KGB officer who heads Rosoboronoexport, the Russian weapons exporting group; sanctioned March 15
• When: March 15
• Size: 443 ft.
• Value: $600 million
• Owned by: Unknown; Reuters  reports Igor Sechin is believed to be owner
• When: March 16

The Royal Romance

• Size: 302 ft.
• Value: $200 million
• Owned by: Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of Ukraine's main pro-Russia party; sanctioned Feb. 19
• Seized in: Croatia

The Little Bear

• Size: 56 ft.
• Value: $22 million
• Owned by: Alexey Kuzmichev, co-founder of Alfa-Bank, Russia’s largest private bank; sanctioned March 15
• Size: 236 ft.
• Value: $75 million
• Owned by: Dmitry Pumpyansky, owner of TMK, Russia's largest steel pipe maker; sanctioned March 15
• Seized in: Gibraltar, a British territory
• When: March 21

The Big Bear

• Size: 85 ft.
• Value: $77 million
• Size: 192 ft.
• Value: $50 million
• Owned by: Vitaly Vasilievich Kochetkov, founder of mobile network Motiv Telecom;  not on the UK sanctions list
• Seized in: Great Britain
• When: March 29
• Size: 255 ft.
• Value: $90 million
• Owned by: Viktor Vekselberg, who heads the Renova Group, a Russian conglomerate with interests in aluminum, oil, energy, telecoms and other industries; sanctioned March 11
• When: April 4

It's expensive to seize a yacht

"We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts , your luxury apartments, your private jets," President Joe Biden said while announcing sanctions in his State of the Union address March 1, addressing Russian oligarchs.

Seizing a yacht prevents an owner from using it. The impounding authority must first prove the yacht belongs to an oligarch, which is often difficult because many owners hide behind shell companies . Once ownership is established, the seized yacht must stay in port.

It also has to stay in the water. Most of the yachts are too big to be put in dry storage facilities. The 433-foot-long Crescent, for example, is almost half the length of the RMS Titanic .

Yacht owners are technically responsible for maintaining their ships even after they're seized. Such maintenance can cost millions of dollars  a year. Sometimes owners refuse to pay.

It's often unclear who pays for upkeep of the ships while legal battles are being fought. In France, for example, La Ciotat Shipyards said it doesn't know where to send mooring fees for the yacht Amore Vero.

Without maintenance, there's a risk of corrosion. Lengthy exposure can result in hull damage for neglected ships. Even long-term sunlight can weaken hatch and window seals and allow rain to enter.

If they sink, yachts can become environmental hazards .

What happens to seized yachts?

Any asset that is seized under sanction usually isn't confiscated. Yacht owners generally retain ownership, but their ships are confined to port and can't be moved or sold.

Governments must connect a seized asset to a crime  before the asset can be confiscated. Proving that oligarchs committed a crime and connecting their yachts to the crime could be difficult, according to legal scholars.

Oligarchs will likely fight in courts to reclaim their impounded vessels. Some court cases could last years.

In Congress, a bipartisan bill that would transfer seized Russian assets to Ukrainian rebuilding efforts was introduced by four members of the House on March 22.

40 other yachts are docked in limbo

Germany: The 512-foot yacht Dilbar, owned by Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, hasn't been officially seized, but it remains in Hamburg and is not permitted to leave , Bloomberg reported March 2. The yacht is valued at $600 million.

Norway: The 223-foot yacht Ragnar also hasn't been seized, but it is stranded in Narvik after Norwegian suppliers refused to sell it fuel in mid-March. The yacht is owned by Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, a former KGB officer and confidant of Putin's.

Finland: The Finnish government is holding 21 luxury yachts , all in winter storage, while officials determine whether they're owned by Russian oligarchs. The detainment was reported on March 23. The government is also holding a 105-foot yacht believed to be owned by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev .

The Netherlands: The Dutch government impounded 14 Russian-owned yachts in shipyards around the country, Marine Industry News reported April 6. Twelve of them are under construction. The Netherlands is considered a global hub for yacht building and maintenance.

Italy: Authorities are trying to identify the owner of  the Scheherazade , a 460-foot yacht that may be owned by Putin. The ship, estimated to be worth $700 million, is docked in the town of Massa in Tuscany.

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Associated Press; Marine Industry News; superyachts.com

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Italian Police Seize Russian Oligarch Andrey Melnichenko’s 468-Foot ‘Sailing Yacht A’

The list keeps growing with the impoundment of "sailing yacht a" and suspicion that "scheherazade" might be connected to vladimir putin., michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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Italy’s finance police seized one of the world’s most iconic sailing yachts, owned by a Russian oligarch. Andrey Melnichenko’s Sailing Yacht A , with an estimated value of $578 million, was impounded in dry dock at the Port of Trieste, according to a statement from the Guardia di Finanzia. Melninchenko was sanctioned by the European Union on March 9 as part of a group of Russian oligarchs who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin following its Ukraine invasion to discuss the potential economic impact of EU and American sanctions.

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Melnichenko owns the major fertilizer producer EuroChem Group and SUEK, a coal company. He also owns the 390-foot Motor Yacht A. A spokesperson said in a statement that Melnichenko has nothing to do with politics and that he has removed himself from the board of Eurochem and SUEK after the EU sanctioned him. “He has no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine. He has no political affiliations,” said the statement.

US intelligence officials have also said they are trying to link the Scheherazade , a $700 million superyacht in dry dock in Italy, to Putin. The New York Times reported that the US government has made no definite conclusions about the yacht’s ownership, but believe it could be owned by the Russian president. The yacht’s captain, Guy Bennett-Pearce, told the Times that Putin had no stake in the yacht, but declined to name the owner. Bennett-Pearce said he would provide Italian police with documents that divulged the owner’s name. The Italian Sea Group, which owns the shipyard where Scheherazade is dry docked, said that, based on “checks carried out by relevant authorities,” the yacht is “not attributable to the property of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Roman Abramovich, who owns Solaris. last week was placed on the UK sanctions list.  Courtesy of Lloyd Werft

Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was also added to the UK sanctions list days after he announced the sale of the football club. Abramovich, who owns a string of supercars and several private jets, also owns the superyachts Solaris and Eclipse. Solaris is reportedly sailing towards Israel, where Abramovich has dual citizenship.

On March 3, France’s finance ministry said that it had impounded Amore Vero , a yacht owned by Igor Sechin, CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft. The EU had sanctioned Sechin earlier that week, calling him one of Putin’s “most trusted and closest advisors, as well as his personal friend.” German authorities also detained the 512-foot superyacht Dilbar in Hamburg, owned by Alisher Usmanov. Reports said the crew was fired last week. On March 5, Italian authorities impounded two yachts, Lena and Lady M , owned by Gennady Timchenko and Alexei Mordashov, respectively.

On Friday, the US State Department placed Viktor Vekselberg on its sanctions list. Two of Vekeselberg’s luxury assets, an Airbus A319-115 jet and his yacht Tango , were identified as “blocked property.”

The superyacht Scheherazade was impounded in Italy during an investigation to uncover whether it is owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Video Still/YT

The seizures have prompted the superyacht industry to distance itself from the oligarchs. Italian yacht builders Sanlorenzo and Azimut both released statements that they have limited exposure to Russian clients, and none are on the sanctions list. Heesen Yachts released a statement that two Russians sitting on its supervisory board of directors have resigned their positions. The builder said Heesen is 100-percent Dutch-owned company and that Pavel Sukhoruchkin and Pavel Novoselov had nothing to do with its day-to-day operations.

Ownership of many Russian yachts is often hidden by shell companies in tax havens like the Cayman Islands. They are not only hard to trace, but actually seizing and selling them could present a legal quagmire that could take years to resolve.

Some are wondering whether seizing the oligarchs’ private yachts and jets will work. “Sanctions are another example of the West doing what it does best, which is just throwing a lot of cash at the problem and hoping it gets solved,” Olga Chyzh, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, told the Washington Post. “However sad they are to let go of their Western assets, oligarchs have even more to lose if Putin is no longer there to protect them.”

Eclipse is another yacht owned by Roman Abramovich.  Robb Report File

In the meantime, some oligarchs are taking their yachts to destinations like the Maldives , the Seychelles and Dubai, which have no extradition treaties with the US and EU. Dubai has become a favorite destination for Russian tourism and wealth.

Alex Finley, a former CIA officer, has been tracking the yachts from Barcelona. Using the hashtag “Yacht Watch,” she posts updates on Twitter for Russian-owned superyachts.

“For me, the yachts are a big, easily recognizable symbol of the more serious side of this [Russian invasion]: These are people who support a dictator, and have been supporting him in carrying out destabilization operations against democracy, while at the same time coming here and taking all the benefits of the exact same democracies they were destabilizing,” Finley told the Washington Post.

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