Photo: Yacht Harbour
The panic is real among Russian oligarchs included on international sanctions lists. As authorities in several countries have announced economic sanctions against billionaires with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the same billionaires have been in a non-stop rush to hide as many of their assets as possible.
In the case of superyachts, this has meant anything from “disappearing” the vessels by disabling AIS tracking or quickly moving them into friendly waters, where sanctions aren’t enforced, to passing them to family members and trusted associates. This also seems to have been the case with several luxury goods, including “at least one luxury yacht,” houses, companies, and other assets identified in Spain, Reuters reports.
The news is confirmed by Mariano García Fresno, head of the General Council of Notaries’ money-laundering prevention unit, who has been overseeing operations. Fresno would not get into the specifics of the items on the list, but he did say that they belonged to 15 sanctioned oligarchs, with the implication that seizing these goods is next.
The move couldn’t come one moment too soon, Fresno explains. “They were already starting to move these holdings, especially in Spanish companies, or holdings or shares in foreign companies,” he says. “We have located some 15 people from that (EU sanctions) list and another 105 people linked to them or family members (...) There are people who are less well known on the list, but some of them were among the best known.”
One such well-known oligarch on current sanctions lists is Alexander Mikheev, former CEO of defense contractor JSC Russian Helicopters and current CEO of Rosoboronexport, who just happens to have a superyacht in Spanish waters. Lady Anastasia has been stuck in Spain since late February, when one of the Ukrainian crew members tried to sabotage it and almost sunk it, before turning himself in.
Compared to the $7.8 million Anastasia, Roman Abramovich’s $600 million megayacht Solaris is the giant that got away. It was docked in the port of Barcelona until the beginning of March and then made a rushed departure and headed to Turkey, where it remains to this day. Turkey, as we noted on previous occasions, has become a safe haven for cautious oligarchs looking to stow their floating toys away.
The news is confirmed by Mariano García Fresno, head of the General Council of Notaries’ money-laundering prevention unit, who has been overseeing operations. Fresno would not get into the specifics of the items on the list, but he did say that they belonged to 15 sanctioned oligarchs, with the implication that seizing these goods is next.
The move couldn’t come one moment too soon, Fresno explains. “They were already starting to move these holdings, especially in Spanish companies, or holdings or shares in foreign companies,” he says. “We have located some 15 people from that (EU sanctions) list and another 105 people linked to them or family members (...) There are people who are less well known on the list, but some of them were among the best known.”
One such well-known oligarch on current sanctions lists is Alexander Mikheev, former CEO of defense contractor JSC Russian Helicopters and current CEO of Rosoboronexport, who just happens to have a superyacht in Spanish waters. Lady Anastasia has been stuck in Spain since late February, when one of the Ukrainian crew members tried to sabotage it and almost sunk it, before turning himself in.
Compared to the $7.8 million Anastasia, Roman Abramovich’s $600 million megayacht Solaris is the giant that got away. It was docked in the port of Barcelona until the beginning of March and then made a rushed departure and headed to Turkey, where it remains to this day. Turkey, as we noted on previous occasions, has become a safe haven for cautious oligarchs looking to stow their floating toys away.
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