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- Protesters in a dinghy tried to stop a luxury yacht belonging to Roman Abramovich from docking in Turkey, The Independent reported.
- The protesters were carrying Ukrainian flags with the words “No War” written on them.
- The super-yacht later docked in the port of Bodrum, Turkey.
A group of protesters tried to block a luxury superyacht belonging to sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from docking in Turkey, The Independent reported.
The Solaris berthed at the port of Bodrum in southwest Turkey on Monday. According to The Independent, prior to mooring it was confronted by a dinghy carrying a group of protesters waving Ukrainian flags marked with the phrase “No War.”
A video published on the paper’s website showed the group maneuvering the dinghy near the bow of the yacht as it approached the quayside.
The $600 million vessel later successfully docked after the coastguard told the protesters to move, according to the paper.
Monday’s protest is the latest aimed at luxury yachts belonging to the Russian elite.
Solaris was the target of a graffiti attempt while docked in Barcelona earlier this month, Insider’s Grace Dean previously reported. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian engineer was arrested on suspicion of attempting to sink an $8 million luxury yacht belonging to his Russian boss in Mallorca, Spain, last month, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Spanish media reported.
The US, UK, and European Union have imposed sanctions against Russia in the wake of its attack on Ukraine, which has resulted in freezing some assets belonging to Russian individuals. Several luxury yachts linked to oligarchs have been seized in ports across Europe, while other vessels are cruising towards destinations where they are less likely to be impounded as a result of sanctions.
Abramovich has been sanctioned by both the UK and the EU.
Bodrum has been popular with Russia’s wealthy in the past, but Turkey’s ports may also appeal to those sanctioned by other governments due to Ankara’s stance on the invasion of Ukraine. Unlike other NATO members, Turkey has not imposed sanctions on Russia. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the measures, while at the same time also supporting Ukraine.
Solaris left the port of Tivat in Montenegro on March 13, two days before Abramovich was sanctioned by the EU. The vessel avoided other European locations where it could be at risk of seizure, before docking in Turkey, Insider’s Kate Duffy reported.
The vessel was joined on Tuesday by another of Abramovich’s luxury vessels, Eclipse, which moored at the nearby Turkish port of Marmaris.
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