Germany and France have announced the seizure of yachts owned by Russian oligarchs in Putin's corrupt inner circle. The move is part of international efforts to punish Russian elites close to Russian despot Vladimir Putin for Russia's brutal invasion of neighboring Ukraine. From Reuters:
"France and Germany have seized two superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs, according to French authorities and Forbes magazine, taking concrete steps to hit Russia's super-rich under sweeping sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, at least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires were anchored or cruising in the Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that has no extradition treaty with the United States, ship tracking data showed.
The yachts arrived in the tropical archipelago off the coast of Sri Lanka after the imposition of severe Western sanctions on Russia in response to its devastating invasion of Ukraine."
The yacht seized by Germany is reported to be the largest in the world: the $600 million 510-foot Dilbar, owned by corrupt oligarch Alisher Usmanov. The yacht was being refitted in a German shipyard in Hamburg when it was seized.
French customs officials on the French Riviera seized the 288-foot Amore Vero, owned by a company controlled by Russian gas and oil company mogul Igor Sechin.
Forbes has done yeoman's work in tracking the location of some 32 yachts owned by Russian billionaires, so allied governments need to get on it.
While some oligarchs are attempting to evade seizure by sailing in the waters of nations without extradition treaties, their enormous real estate assets can't weigh anchor and sail off. For two decades, they've sunk / laundered their money, skimmed from the Russian economy, into luxury villas, estates and condominiums around the world. Many of them will be padlocked in the days and weeks ahead as a result of the Justice Department's appropriately named Task Force KleptoCapture.
(photo: The Dilbar. Getty Images)
