Fiona Govan
Superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs which are currently moored in Spain could be seized by authorities under sanctions threatened by the EU in retaliation for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Three palatial yachts currently being serviced in Barcelona ports and at least one in Mallorca could be targeted under sanctions being threatened against some of Russia’s wealthiest men.
Mineral tycoon and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich could see his 139-metre Solaris seized.
The vessel, dubbed the ‘most expensive custom made yacht with an eye-popping price tag of €600million, is currently undergoing a refit in Barcelona’s MB92 shipyard.
While Russian construction magnate Andrey Molcahnov with an estimated worth of over €1 billion could be stripped of his 74-metre Aurora.
A third vessel in the Barcelona shipyard, the 70-metre Galactica Super Nova belongs to Vagit Alekperov, president and chief executive of Lukoil, who also has a 36.8% stake of the football club Spartak Moscow.
Across the water in Mallorca, is the 77-metre Tango owned by Russian telecom billionaire and close cohort of Vladimir Putin, Viktor Vekselberg.
All have been tipped as likely to be among assets frozen by authorities in Spain if the EU approves sanctions against individual Russians.
Other vessels known to be owned by associates of Putin have recently left Spanish ports to head out to international waters as the conflict in the Ukraine intensified.
Until earlier this month, the Sea Rhapsody, a superyacht belonging to Andrey Kostin, the chief executive of VTB, one of Russia’s biggest banks, was moored in Barcelona but set sail just days before Putin’s forces entered Ukraine.
Meanwhile a superyacht believed to be owned by Putin himself sailed out of a German shipyard to a Russian port just days before the invasion.
The 82-metre long vessel named Graceful is believed to have cost close to €100 million and sailed out of Hamburg two weeks ago.
Dozens of other pleasure craft belonging to wealthy Russians are moored in ports across Spain and its islands. Although not on the scale of the mega-yachts they could still be among the assets seized if their owners appear on the black list.
Some of the most expensive real estate along Spain’s costas is also owned by Russians linked to the Putin regime and could be seized by authorities if such sanctions are approved.
The European Union has moved closer to a massive package of sanctions targeting both sectors of the Russian economy and individuals but has yet to announce who is on the list.
On Saturday, one Ukrainian crew member sabotaged the yacht belonging to his Russian boss arms manufacturer in response to watching Russian attacks on his hometown Kyiv.
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