Yachtspotting
The West Seized A Bunch of Big Luxury Vessels Linked To Russian Oligarchs. Where Are They Now?
In the weeks following the all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western governments cast a wide net of financial sanctions aimed at punishing the Kremlin and pressuring it to change course on the war.
Authorities targeted bank accounts, belonging to the Russian government -- $300 billion in sovereign funds, according to the Central Bank -- and also government officials and lawmakers. And they cast further, targeting the tycoons whose wealth and power derives largely from their proximity to the Kremlin: the oligarchs.
Most visible among seized oligarch assets: the opulent, tiered vessels seen bobbing and gleaming in harbors and bays off multiple continents.
At least 20 luxury yachts were seized by Western authorities in a dozen countries in 2022 -- mainly in the first weeks after the invasion. Most of the ships were impounded in European ports, some further afield: Fiji, for example. According to Forbes, the value of the seized vessels exceeded $4.3 billion.
As the war has dragged on, with the sanctions still in place, some of the yachts have been sold at auction. Others have been abandoned, leaving governments on the hook to pay maintenance and upkeep, while trying to figure out what to do with the vessels.
Here’s a look at some of more famous, or infamous, ships that have been seized, and what ended up happening to them.
Choose A Yacht
Select a yacht below to scroll straight to its section. Each section lists the ship's particulars, its last known position, and what has happened to it since 2022. Yachts are not to scale.
Credits
Wojtek Grojec
Wojtek Grojec is the graphics and data editor for the Central Newsroom of RFE/RL in Prague.
Mike Eckel
Mike Eckel is a senior international correspondent reporting on political and economic developments in Russia, Ukraine, and around the former Soviet Union, as well as news involving cybercrime and espionage. He's reported on the ground on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the wars in Chechnya and Georgia, and the 2004 Beslan hostage crisis, as well as the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Mark Krutov
Mark Krutov is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Russian Service and one of the leading investigative journalists in Russia. He has been instrumental in the production of dozens of in-depth reports exposing corruption among Russia's political elite and revealing the murky operations behind Kremlin-led secret services. Krutov joined RFE/RL in 2003 and has extensive experience as both a correspondent and a TV host.
Juan Carlos Herrera Martinez
Juan Carlos Herrera Martinez is a multimedia producer for RFE/RL in Prague.