- 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.
Heesen Yachts
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.
NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images
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.
Yoruk Isik/Reuters
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.
Levent Kisi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
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.
VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images
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,
NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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.
Ali Balli/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.
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.
David Ramos/Getty Images
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.
Photo by Levent Kisi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
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.
Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images
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.
Osman Uras/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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.
Awakening/Getty Images
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.
VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images
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.
ANDREA BERNARDI/AFP via Getty Images
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.
ANDREA BERNARDI/AFP via Getty Images.
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.
Ali Balli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.
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.
David Oller/Europa Press via Getty Images.
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.
Laia Solanellas/Europa Press via Getty Images
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.
JAIME REINA/AFP via Getty Images
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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