russian yacht tarragona

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The Ministry of Transport has reported this afternoon of a third yacht, presumably Russian property, held in a Spanish port due to the conflict in Ukraine. This is the  Crescent  , a giant with a black hull 135 meters long and 24 meters wide, which has been temporarily immobilized by the Merchant Navy in the port of Tarragona. The Security Forces attribute its property to the Russian oligarch  Igor Ivanovich Sechin  , according to  El País  . He is the chief executive of the  Rosneft  oil company and an intimate of Vladimir Putin.

His presence in Tarragona has been causing a stir for months: a sister ship, the  Scheherazade  , is being investigated in Italy, specifically in Marina di Carrara, as the alleged property of   Putin  himself or of personnel close to the Russian head of state. The value of this type of ship, which includes two heliports and its own hangar, is between 600 and 700 million dollars.

The Crescent megayacht had requested departure from the Maritime Captaincy on the 4th, but  did not set sail  . The Government will now analyze whether it is owned by a company or a billionaire included in the package of sanctioning measures set by the European Union in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Crescent is two years old and sails under  the Cayman Islands flag  . Considered one of the most luxurious yachts in the world, she had been in the Catalan port since November 2. The ship now joins the  Valerie, belonging to the oligarch Sergey Chemezov  (Rosnet), docked in Barcelona, ​​and the  Lady Anastasia  , which different sources attribute to Alexander Mijeev (Rosoboronexport), which is under investigation in Calviá (Mallorca) .

Once again, it will be the Maritime Captaincy, dependent on the General Directorate of the Merchant Marine, who will be in charge of guaranteeing the safety of the ship and its crew. And the investigations will be carried out by the State Tax Administration Agency, institutions dedicated to the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism and State Security Forces and Bodies.

If it is verified that it belongs to a person or entity sanctioned by the European Council  , it will be immobilized  .

• Igor Ivanovich Sechin

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In early March, a European vogue for seizing Russian oligarch yachts swept the world. And then the fad stopped — until now . This morning, observers reported Spanish police and the FBI entering Tango , a yacht docked in the stunning harbor of Palma de Mallorca. Tango is owned by Viktor Vekselberg , a friend of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. Here, to our knowledge, are all the boats seized so far in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine .

Owner : Viktor Vekselberg. Seized by : The United States, in its first high-seas adventure, in cooperation with Spanish authorities, who have become experts in the taking of big boats. The U.S. sanctioned “Kremlin insider” Vekselberg, who has a U.S. green card and residences in the New York City area, in early March. It’s also after his plane, an Airbus A319. On: ~ April 4. Current location: Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Owner: Vladimir Strzhalkovsky. Seized by: It’s not technically seized, and its owner is not on the E.U. sanction list even. But the big sleek boat is in Norway and everyone is refusing to give it fuel . So it’s … stranded? Beached? On: March 16. Current location: Narvik.

Owner: Igor Sechin, most probably (people like to say Putin owns this boat, is why we say that). Former Putin deputy and former head of Russian state oil company; also, he’s single! Seized by: Spain. On: Possibly March 4, but widely announced March 16. Current suspected location: Tarragona , Catalonia.

Lady Anastasia

Owner: Alexander Mikheyev. Runs the helicopters division of a subsidiary of Rostec; the yacht just survived an attack last month by a Ukrainian sailor. He told the crew to abandon ship and then tried to sink it. “I don’t regret anything I’ve done,” he said. ( He was arrested .) Seized by: Spain. On: March 15. Last location: Calvia, a Mallorca marina.

Owner: Sergei Chemezov. KGB man, Putin pal from Dresden, CEO of Rostec; barred from entering the U.S. since 2014 (whom among us). Seized: March 14. By: Spain. Location: Barcelona.

Sailing Yacht A

Owner: Andrey Melnichenko. Made his riches in banking and fertilizer; certainly a billionaire; once hired Jennifer Lopez to do a private concert for his wife’s birthday. Has another extremely large boat, the Motor Yacht A , which we’re keeping an eye on. Seized: ~ March 11 . By: Italy. Suspected current location: Trieste.

Owner: Alexei Mordashov. They like to call him Russia’s richest man, because he probably is (we say “probably” because Putin kind of owns everything); has another very nice boat, Nord , but it’s in Seychelles, where it won’t be grabbed … at this time. Seized by: Italy. On: ~ March 4. Suspected current location: Imperia.

Owner: Igor Sechin. Sometimes you need two boats, after all. (Then you have none.) Seized by: France. On: March 3. Current location: La Ciotat.

Owner: Gennady Timchenko. When your friend (Putin) gives you a license to enrich yourself in the oil trade, what could go wrong? Besides being sanctioned since 2014 . Seized by: Italy. On: ~March 5. Current location: Sanremo.

Owner: Alisher Usmanov. Seized by: Germany. On: March 3 (?). Current location: Hamburg? Status: Dilbar is either seized or frozen; at the very least, the staff ( 96 of them ) wasn’t able to be paid and so the boat is effectively impounded no matter what.

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Spain impounds a third superyacht amid E.U. crackdown on Russian oligarchs

Spanish authorities have impounded a third superyacht believed to belong to a Russian oligarch, a seizure that is part of a global crackdown on those seen to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Crescent, a yacht registered in the Cayman Islands, had requested to depart the Spanish Port of Tarragona on March 4, authorities said, but it did not set sail. The 443-foot yacht has an estimated value of about $600 million, according to SuperyachtFan , a website tracking luxury yachts, which cited its owner as an “unknown billionaire.”

Governments all over the world are working to identify and freeze the assets of Russian elites and their family members, including luxury apartments, money and yachts. Online sleuths are watching their moves, tweeting names, locations, ownership and the latest status of yachts owned by Russian oligarchs.

The Crescent is supersized even by global elite benchmarks — few of the world’s biggest yachts measure more than 400 feet . It was built by the German shipyard Lürssen , which constructs many of the largest yachts, and reportedly features a retractable helicopter hangar and a big glass-bottomed pool.

Schadenfreude at sea: The Internet is watching with glee as Russian oligarchs’ yachts are seized

Spain’s Transportation Ministry said it was collecting information “to confirm the real ownership” of the vessel and whether control of the ship corresponds to an individual on the list of people and entities sanctioned by the European Council over the war in Ukraine. If it turns out to belong to someone on the sanctions list, it will be “immobilized,” officials said.

Spanish authorities said that so far this week, they have seized the Valerie, in the Port of Barcelona, ​​and the Lady Anastasia in Majorca’s Port Adriano. The former is suspected to be owned by Sergey Chemezov, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a subject of Western sanctions. Chemezov is the head of Rostec, a Russian industrial and military conglomerate.

The United States and its allies have said they will not fight the Russian military directly or support Ukraine’s request for a no-fly zone , which U.S. officials fear could lead to broader war with a nuclear-armed superpower. But they are waging an economic war against the Putin-connected Russian super-elite .

Russian superyachts and aircraft barred from New Zealand under new sanctions

Protesters this week broke into a white stucco mansion in central London belonging to the family of a Russian oligarch, unfurled a Ukrainian flag, and declared the property “liberated” and ready for refugees. Even countries as far as New Zealand have said Russian superyachts and aircraft would be barred from entering its waters and airspace under new sanctions legislation passed in response to the Kremlin invasion.

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Spain seizes three superyachts in sanctions crackdown after crew member from Ukraine sabotages boat

The 135-metre 'crescent', worth £459m, is latest to be held as madrid signals that era of putin allies partying and villa-buying in the country is over.

Spain has seized a third superyacht believed to be owned by a Russian oligarch, in a sign that the era when Kremlin allies could use the country as a playground to party in appeared to be drawing to a close .

The 135-metre Crescent , which is worth £459m, was impounded by Spanish authorities at the port in Tarragona, Catalonia, the transport ministry said on Wednesday.

Spanish media speculated that the yacht could be owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin but police are still investigating who it belongs to.

The Lady Anastasia , owned by Alexander Mikheyev, who is the head of weapon exporting group Rosoboronexport, was seized at Port Adriano in Mallorca, Spain’s transport ministry said on Tuesday.

Taras Ostapchuk, 55, a Ukrainian sailor who worked on the yacht, last month reportedly caused extensive damage to the £5.9m vessel by opening up its valves and causing it to partly sink.

He was said to have been furious that arms shipped by the yacht’s owner were allegedly used to attack his country. He was arrested but later left Spain to fight for Ukraine.

On Monday, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had announced the seizure of superyacht Valerie in Barcelona and promised “more would follow”, in an indication that Madrid was complying with a European Union crackdown on Russian oligarchs who are close to Mr Putin.

As well as parading their superyachts in the ports of Barcelona, Mallorca, and Puerto Banús , near Marbella, Russia’s super-rich have spent millions of pounds buying properties in the most exclusive parts of Spain. Mr Putin has denied rumours that he bought properties on the Costa del Sol in a deal allegedly arranged by the head of a Russian crime syndicate.

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The 107-metre mega yacht Valerie has been linked to Sergei Chemenov, a former KGB officer and head of the Russian state conglomerate Rostec, who recently said Moscow would defeat Ukraine.

Sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the vessel is registered to Mr Chemezov’s stepdaughter, Anastasia Ignatova, through a British Virgin Islands company, according to a 2021 article published in the Pandora Papers information leak.

Mr Chemezov was sanctioned by the United States in 2014 and Britain in 2020 over Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and was named in sanctions lists this month by the US and Australia.

He was not named in the latest European list of sanctioned Russian figures but the EU imposed measures against him in 2014.

In 2015, legal papers seen by i showed that Gennady Petrov, the alleged head of the Tambovskaya-Malyshevkaya crime syndicate, suggested Mr Petrov was involved in the purchase of a property in Malaga for Mr Putin.

The Russian president has always denied owning property outside Russia.

However, a handwritten note, dating from 2001, reads: “Señor Putin, land in Malaga, Russian area or Russian urbanization. Land not bought. Administration presidential affair.”

The paper was seized by Spanish police during raids on properties owned by Mr Petrov in Mallorca in 2008. With a Salvador Dalí on the wall, Ferraris and Bentleys in the drive and Spanish royalty for neighbours, the alleged crime boss lived in luxury in Cali, an exclusive resort on the island.

Mr Petrov is wanted after disappearing in 2012 when he was given permission by Spanish authorities to visit his sick mother in Russia.

Russians made up two per cent of all property purchases in Spain in 2021, according to the Spanish Property Registry, with most villas snapped up along the Costa del Sol, the Costa Brava and in the Costa Daurada south of Barcelona.

The wealthiest Russians buy multi-million-pound villas in La Zagaleta, near Marbella, one of the most expensive residential areas in Spain.

“Russians down here drive around here in their Porsches or SUVs and are the wealthier ones,” Kinvara Vaughan, of MN Comunicacion, a PR company based in Marbella, told i .

“But I don’t know how long they will be able to stay round here because of the present situation (with the war).”

In France, activists occupied a luxury villa in Biarritz owned by Mr Putin’s former son-in-law over the weekend. Pierre Haffner, of the Svoboda Liberté Association, and Sergey Saveliev entered the eight-bedroom Alta Mira property and said on social media they would open the property to Ukrainian refugees.

The property is said to belong to Kirill Shamalov, a Russian billionaire and former husband of Mr Putin’s daughter Katerina Tikhonova.

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16 superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs

Western sanctions over moscow's invasion of ukraine led to many luxury vessels being detained in europe.

March 23, 2022

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Here are the Russian superyachts sanctioned so far

Wednesday, April 6th, 2022

Written by: Marine Industry News

Numerous superyachts linked to Russian oligarchs have now been immobilised or detained across Europe, under sanctions levied in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

These are unprecedented times for the industry, and it remains to be seen what exactly will happen to the yachts that have been arrested so far. It’s understood that these vessels can retain a skeleton crew to provide essential upkeep and maintenance. However, it is illegal to engage in a financial transaction with a sanctioned individual, meaning that — when its owner is sanctioned — a vessel cannot engage in normal operation.

Many social media users are now taking a keen interest in the whereabouts of Russian-owned superyachts, with hashtags such as #Yachtwatch trending on Twitter, and numerous accounts, including Sanctions Ahoy! now dedicated to tracking their movements.

Here is a round-up of all the yachts that have so far been sanctioned, starting from the most recent:

14 April: Ama dea

Russian yacht – Amadea is being investigated for possible breaches of Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone and money laundering. #FBCNews #FijiNews #Fiji More: https://t.co/68LkYsEX8d pic.twitter.com/Pxs0l5zjtS — FBC News Fiji (@FBC_News) April 14, 2022

The 106-metre Lürssen superyacht Amadea , owned by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, is arrested by the Fijian Police Force two days after arriving in the country from Mexico. Kerimov is sanctioned by the United States, Britain and the European Union.

The yacht, which was reportedly attempting to refuel before going onto Vladivostok, had allegedly anchored within Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) before getting the necessary customs clearance. The crew were questioned in police custody over failure to secure correct customs clearances.

“Vessels that arrive in the Fiji EEZ must get their custom clearance first, which was allegedly breached by the yacht Amadea and is being investigated,” Brigadier-General Qiliho told the Fiji Sun .

Amadea is worth around US$325 million, and features a dedicated party deck with 20,000 watts of built-in speakers, plus lights and lasers.

6 April: The Netherlands impounds 14 yachts in shipyards

The #Dutch government has arrested 14 yachts belonging to #Russians , NOS reports. 12 of the yachts are still under construction, two others are in the country for maintenance. pic.twitter.com/N6z8ikQGv3 — NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 6, 2022

Dutch customs authorities impounded 14 Russian-owned yachts in shipyards across the country on 6 April, including 12 superyachts currently under construction.

The yachts are barred from being formally delivered and handed over to the owners, and cannot leave the country, Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra says. Twelve of the 14 seized superyachts are under construction in five different shipyards, according to Hoekstra, while the other two are undergoing maintenance.

The shipyards implicated have been informed that final deliveries of the yachts are blocked while their ownership structures are being investigated. All shipyards are reportedly cooperating in full.

More investigations are ongoing at fifteen shipyards and five yacht dealers.

4 April: Tango

The 77.7m superyacht Tango was impounded at Real Club Nautico de Palma, in a maritime arrest conducted by Spanish law-enforcement agents at the request of the US Department of Justice. It is the first Russian-owned yacht that has been arrested by the United States.

The video seen above, published by Spain’s Guardia Civil, shows FBI agents boarding Tango , before removing documents and computer devices.

The DOJ has indicated that the yacht’s owner is Viktor Vekselberg, current head of Renova Group, who is on the US sanctions list. In an announcement after the arrest, the DOJ said Vekselberg previously obfuscated his ownership of  Tango  while paying for her support and maintenance in US dollars.

29 March: Phi

The UK detained Russian-owned Phi in London’s Canary Wharf, just hours before it was set to leave the capital, following a superyacht awards ceremony. It was the first ship to be detained in the UK since sanctions were introduced.

The 58.5-metre Phi has a freshwater swimming pool and an “infinite wine cellar” according to the website of its builder Royal Huisman. It also has its own 36-metre shadow vessel.

The ownership of the £38m yacht was deliberately well hidden. The company the ship is registered to is based in the islands of St Kitts and Nevis and it carried Maltese flags to hide its origins.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the unnamed owner is not currently sanctioned but is a businessman who has “close connections” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. While initial reports in British outlets claimed the vessel is owned by Russian businessman Sergei Georgievich Naumenko, the  Financial Times  reports  the ultimate owner is Vitaly Vasilievich Kochetkov, the founder of Motiv Telecom.

The Daily Mail  reports  a source claiming the boat had been impounded over concerns that a ‘pretend owner’ was being used to shield the ultimate owner.  

21 March: Axioma

The US$75m superyacht Axioma, reportedly owned by Dmitry Pumpyansky – owner and chairman of Russia’s largest steel and pipe manufacturer TMK, a supplier to state-owned energy company Gazprom – was seized by authorities in Gibraltar.

Pumpyansky was added to both UK and EU sanctions lists earlier this month. Footage broadcast by the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation shows the Axioma flying a Maltese flag while moored in Gibraltar. Reuters reports that the 72-metre vessel is owned by a British Virgin Islands holding company called Pyrene investments. Leaks in the Panama Papers have named Pumpyansky as a beneficiary of the holding.

In a statement, the Gibraltar government confirmed Axioma had arrived in port after asking permission to enter and “was confirmed to be the subject of an arrest action by a leading international bank in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar”.

16 March: Crescent

Spanish authorities impounded the 135-metre megayacht  Crescent , which is docked in the port of Tarragona. In a statement, Spain’s transport ministry said further actions are pending an inspection to establish its exact ownership. A police source told Reuters that  Crescent  is linked to Igor Sechin, the sanctioned chief executive of Russian oil giant Rosneft and former deputy prime minister of Russia.

It’s the second yacht linked to Sechin to be targeted, after French authorities seized 86-metre Oceanco superyacht  Amore Vero ,  earlier this month .

Spain impounds third yacht linked to Russian oligarch March 17, 2022 3:57 AMThe Crescent reportedly belongs to Igor Sechin, the head of Russia's oil giant Rosneft and a Putin ally. https://t.co/xnPDPQFnSu pic.twitter.com/YgS86KWL0A — Mani Subramanian Veeramani (#AskRealtorMani) (@AskRealtorMani) March 16, 2022

16 March: Royal Romance

The 92m Feadship superyacht Royal Romance , which is worth US$200m, was seized by Croatian authorities at the port of Rijeka. The vessel reportedly belongs to the Ukrainian billionaire and Kremlin-aligned lawyer Viktor Medvedchuk, who fled house arrest in Ukraine when the war began. Medvedchuk is the leader of Ukraine’s most prominent pro-Russia party and a close ally of Putin.

15 March: Lady Anastasia

Spanish authorities reportedly detained Lady Anastasia , a £6.5million vessel reportedly owned by Russian oligarch Alexander Mikheyev. It is the same yacht that an irate Ukrainian crew member attempted to sink last month .

Mikheyev, who is under European Union sanctions, is the head of Russia’s defence import agency. A police source tells Reuters that the 48-metre yacht cannot leave a marina in Mallorca, where it is now moored.

14 March: Valerie

Valerie , a US$140 million superyacht reportedly linked to a Russian arms tycoon, was temporarily seized in Barcelona. 

Valerie is widely reported to be linked to Sergei Chemezov, the CEO of Rostec, a Russian state-owned defence conglomerate. Chemezov is understood to be a former KGB colleague of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is said to be a close ally of the president.

The 'Valerie' yacht — which #PandoraPapers show is linked to Russian oligarch Sergei Chemezov and his stepdaughter via an intricate network of offshore companies — has been retained in Barcelona by Spanish authorities, ICIJ partner @elpais_america reports. https://t.co/ZavPrqbl9W — ICIJ (@ICIJorg) March 14, 2022

“Today we seized – the technical term is provisionally immobilised – a yacht belonging to one of the principal oligarchs,” said Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking about Valerie on TV channel La Sexta. “We are talking about a yacht that we estimate is worth US$140m.” Sánchez added: “There will be more.” 

According to a listing on Dynamiq’s website, Valerie has a crew of 27, with space for 17 guests in nine “well-appointed” cabins. 

The Guardian reports a government source stating that the yacht will remain under detention while Spanish authorities confirm its ownership and whether they feature on any list of sanctions targets.

12 March: Sailing Yacht A

Italy’s finance police seized the world’s largest sail-assisted superyacht, Sailing Yacht A , which is owned by Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko. The 143m vessel, which has an estimated value of US$578 million, was impounded at the Port of Trieste, according to a statement from the Guardia di Finanzia.

The Philippe Starck-designed Sailing Yacht A is among the most distinctive yachts ever built. 

Italy’s financial police ( @GDF ) has just frozen “SY A” – a sailing yacht worth ~€530m located in the Port of Trieste. The yacht could be linked indirectly to Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko – an individual in the EU sanctions list. pic.twitter.com/fRg6ZTIQRH — Ferdinando Giugliano (@FerdiGiugliano) March 12, 2022

7 March : Dilbar

The crew of the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s superyacht, Dilbar , was dismissed after the imposing of western sanctions made the payment of wages difficult, according to reports circulated in March .

Valued at US$600m, Dilbar is considered the largest yacht in the world by gross tonnage and now lies in the German port city of Hamburg.

While the yacht has not technically been seized, the US has declared Dilbar “blocked property.” This prohibits US staff from working on the vessel and bans any payment for its docking fees in US dollars. 

Usmanov, whose net worth is an estimated US$18.4 billion, was sanctioned by the EU, US, and UK earlier this month. 

“We have tried all avenues to find a solution to keep the team in place, and protect our positions, but have reached the end of the road of possibilities,” Tim Armstrong, Dilbar ’s captain, wrote in a message to the crew, according to Bloomberg.

Update: On 12 April, German authorities formally impounded Dilbar . Germany’s federal police  stated “through extensive investigations despite offshore concealment,” it concluded that the yacht is owned by Gulbakhor Ismailova, the sister of Alisher Usmanov. The yacht is being held in the Port of Hamburg in Germany.

5 March: Lena

Italian police seized 40.8-metre Sanlorenzo superyacht Lena while moored in Portosole Sanremo. Ferdinando Giugliano, media advisor to Italy’s prime minister Mario Draghi, has linked the yacht to Gennady Timchenko. Timchenko, the founder of private investment group Volga Group in Russia and shareholder of Bank Rossiya, is named on the UK, EU and US lists of sanctioned individuals. 

4 March: Lady M

Italian police impounded the 65-metre Lady M in the northern Italian port of Imperia, according to reports. The Palmer Johnson-built superyacht is understood to be owned by Alexey Mordashov, the main shareholder and chairman of steel mining company Severstal and the richest man in Russia. Mordashov was blacklisted this month by the European Union in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. 

3 March: Amore Vero

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire confirmed authorities had seized 86-metre Oceanco superyacht Amore Vero , another yacht linked to Igor Sechin, in the port of La Ciotat — the first superyacht to be seized in Europe. 

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One response to “here are the russian superyachts sanctioned so far”.

The Royal Romance left Rijeka last week, around 22 March. It headed south but turned off its beacon near Split. It maybe the authorities have allowed it to move to a more secure port, but it’s not clear. If anyone has any news, please share.

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Every Russian oligarch yacht seized so far—in pictures

The list of Russian luxury mega-yachts confiscated by authorities around Europe grows by the day. And there's more to go.

All the Seized Russian Oligarch Yachts

Here’s how many boats are now available for your use (kidding).

The luxury yacht of the Russian oligarch Igor Sechin, confiscated in Spain

The 135-meter-long luxury yacht "Crescent", registered in the Cayman Islands, owned by an oligarch close to Putin, Igor Sechin, has been temporarily immobilized in the Spanish port of Tarragona, the Madrid transport ministry said in a press release.

Spain: the yachts of the Russian oligarchs in the hot seat

The Spanish authorities immobilized this Tuesday, March 15 in Barcelona, the Valerie yacht of the Russian oligarch Sergey Chemezov. This first intervention took place following the European Union sanctions ordered against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. It marks the beginning of a series of actions against magnates close to the Kremlin, because the next day other Russian boats suffered the same fate in the ports of the Iberian Peninsula.

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Trying to sell Russian oligarch's seized luxury assets is running into trouble

Jackie Northam

After Western governments seized millions in assets from Russian oligarchs, a question remains: What should be done with their yachts?

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Here are the superyachts seized from Russian oligarchs

As part of an international pressure campaign on Russia, authorities from around the world have seized more than a half-dozen superyachts belonging to billionaire oligarchs allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The yacht seizures since the Feb. 24 invasion are "just the beginning," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in March, as an international task force worked to identify further assets that can be seized or frozen.

“The Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said of the ongoing efforts in May.

Here are the superyachts government officials have seized since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

The Justice Department announced May 5 that the Fijian government had seized billionaire oligarch Suleiman Kerimov 's 348-foot yacht Amadea. The vessel, which is valued at more than $300 million , arrived in Fiji last month. Kerimov, who's worth an estimated $14 billion and has ties to the Russian government, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department over alleged money laundering in 2018.

Special features on the sprawling yacht include a helipad, infinity pool, a jacuzzi and multiple bars, according to a report in Boat International . It can accommodate 16 overnight guests in addition to 36 crew members, the report said.

In April, Spanish law-enforcement officials seized a 255-foot yacht called the Tango, which Justice Department says is owned by oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg is an aluminum magnate who the Treasury Department says has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Tango is worth an estimated $90 million, prosecutors said , and Vekselberg allegedly purchased it through shell companies. The 11-year-old yacht has seven staterooms and reportedly includes amenities such as a pool, gym and beauty salon .

Authorities in Italy seized a 215-foot superyacht called the Lady M this month. It's owned by Alexei Mordashov, Russia's richest businessman, and it’s estimated to be worth $27 million . The vessel, which requires a crew of 14, has six guest cabins , a pool and a gym.

But it pales in comparison to another of Mordashov's yachts, the $500 million Nord . The 464-foot vessel, which has two helipads and a waterfall and can accommodate 36 guests, was anchored this month in the Seychelles, where the U.S. and European Union sanctions don’t apply.

Italian officials also seized the 132-foot superyacht Lena, owned by the energy magnate Gennady Timchenko. Estimated to be worth $8 million, it has five cabins and can accommodate 10 guests.

SY A — short for Sailing Yacht A — is one of the world's largest superyachts. Valued at over $440 million, the 469-foot vessel, owned by the fertilizer magnate Andrey Melnichenko, has eight decks, multiple elevators, an underwater observation area and the world's tallest masts . It was seized in the Italian port of Trieste.

Authorities in Spain seized Sergei Chemezov's Valerie, a 279-foot superyacht that had been moored in Barcelona. Chemezov , a former KGB officer, heads the state conglomerate Rostec. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez touted the seizure on La Sexta television. “We are talking about a yacht that we estimate is worth $140 million,” Sanchez said.

Officials in France announced this month that they had seized the 289-foot Amore Vero, which was undergoing repairs in a shipyard near Marseille. When they arrived, authorities said, they found the crew preparing for an urgent departure, even though the repair work was scheduled to last through April. The $120 million boat, which has seven cabins , is linked to Igor Sechin, described by the U.S. Treasury Department as a close ally of Putin's.

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

With unusual new shields, Ukraine's US-made Abrams tanks and Bradleys are taking hits but surviving, armorer says

• US-made armored vehicles such as Abrams tanks and Bradleys are vulnerable to Russian threats in Ukraine.
• A Ukrainian initiative has built steel screens to protect them against drones, artillery, and more.
• With these screens, the vehicles are taking hits but surviving, an armorer says.

US-made armored vehicles being used by Ukrainian forces are facing a range of Russian threats, from the conventional, such as artillery shells, tank rounds, anti-tank missiles, and rocket-propelled grenades, to the unconventional, such as small drones strapped with explosives.

These armored systems — specifically the M1 Abrams tank and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle — have hardened exteriors designed to keep their crews safe, but they are still vulnerable to Russian attacks , which are coming from all angles, including above. There have been losses for both vehicles.

One Ukrainian initiative, Rinat Akhmetov's Steel Front, has built dozens of steel screens for the Abrams and Bradley to provide the vehicles with an extra layer of protection against inbound threats.

A senior official affiliated with the armor initiative has said the screens are "performing well" as the vehicles take fire and come under attack.

"They're taking hits, and after each hit, you have to repair it," the official, who was granted anonymity over security concerns, told Business Insider. The official added that the goal was for the screen to absorb the damage and "not allow damage to the main parts of the vehicle."

Ukraine and Russia have been outfitting their armored vehicles with these net-like screens throughout the war to give them added defenses against incoming munitions, especially the small exploding drones that have been a dominant feature on the battlefield .

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The improvised armor is sometimes referred to as a "cope cage." It can vary in appearance and effectiveness , with some more sophisticated in design than some more crudely built alternatives, such as the unusual Russian "turtle tanks."

"The main aim is to protect the crew," said the official who spoke with BI. "So this is why we are installing it. And after, the second [aim] is to protect the armored vehicle."

The official said that if the vehicle was hit, the damage would ultimately depend on where the explosive impacted. For instance, a protective screen may not be effective against a direct strike but could help reduce the damage if the blast is indirect or originates farther away.

Fully destroyed protective screens can take two days to repair, while moderately damaged ones can take just a few hours to weld back into place.

A complete protective screen for the Abrams weighs roughly 900 pounds and can cost up to $20,000 to produce. The Bradley screen is significantly lighter, at about 550 pounds, and can cost closer to $12,000. Making a screen for either vehicle takes a day or two and another 12 hours or so to install.

Although a single screen may be significantly more expensive than a drone or tank shell, it's still a relatively cheap way to give a multimillion-dollar armored vehicle and its crew the additional protection they need. The screens are also given to the Ukrainian military for free.

The Steel Front initiative has been making screens for Ukraine's old Soviet tanks, such as the T-64 and T-72, for more than a year and a half. So far, it has produced hundreds of screens for these vehicles.

The armor operation expanded to Abrams tanks earlier in the summer and to the Bradleys more recently. It has since produced 25 screens for the American-made tank and at least 70 for the infantry fighting vehicle, with the latter receiving its first install about a month ago.

Since Western countries started donating armored vehicles to Ukraine in early 2023, the US has outfitted Kyiv with 31 Abrams and more than 300 Bradleys, according to the latest Pentagon data.

While the provision of these combat-proven American vehicles has notably upgraded Ukrainian armor capabilities , they're not invincible.

At least 13 Abrams and 99 Bradleys have been damaged or destroyed in combat, according to Oryx, an open-source intelligence platform that tracks battlefield losses on both sides. Other Western armor has also taken losses.

The official BI spoke with about the ongoing add-on armor efforts said that, as far as they knew, the Abrams and Bradleys outfitted with protective screens hadn't suffered losses over the past month.

The initiative outfitting US-made tanks with armor has started working on protection for the German-made Leopard main battle tank. The first variation of the screen is set to take at least a week to make before being sent to the Ukrainian military to be tested. The official said that once full production began, it would probably take about two days to make a screen.

Watch: Russian vs. Western-made tanks in the Ukraine war

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23 Lesser-Known Facts About Kamala Harris

Beyond the headlines, Ms. Harris has taken ballet, collected Converse sneakers and felt the influence of her grandfather, a diplomat.

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By Andrew Trunsky and Alyce McFadden

• Published Aug. 22, 2024 Updated Aug. 29, 2024

Kamala Harris’s long political résumé is well known and expansive: Before becoming vice president, she was a U.S. senator. Before that, she was the California attorney general and the district attorney in San Francisco. Here are some things you might not know about the Democratic Party’s nominee for president.

1. Her name translates to “lotus flower” in Sanskrit . It’s a near-mythical symbol in Indian culture, representing beauty, prosperity and fertility and is associated with the deity Lakshmi.

2. She has broken the most ties in U.S. Senate history. As vice president, she has often been called upon to cast a deciding vote when the Senate is deadlocked. Last year, she cast her 32nd tiebreaker, beating the previous record of 31 set by John C. Calhoun, who was vice president from 1825 to 1832.

3. She’s short (compared to presidents past). Five-foot-four, to be exact. If elected, she would be one of the two shortest presidents in American history. (The other is James Madison.) But her height checks in at just about average for an American woman.

4 . She knows how to deliver fries with that . Ms. Harris worked at McDonald’s between her freshman and sophomore years in college. She fried the fries, worked the ice cream machine and staffed the cash register.

5. Her best friend set her up with her future husband, Doug Emhoff . Their first “date” was an hourlong phone call, and they made plans to get dinner that weekend in Los Angeles, where he was based. “I could hardly wait to fly down,” Ms. Harris wrote.

6. She loves Doritos. In her memoir, she described the night in 2016 that Donald J. Trump won the presidency (which was the same night she got elected to the U.S. Senate). “No one really knew what to say or do,” she wrote. “I sat down on the couch with Doug and ate an entire family-size bag of Classic Doritos. Didn’t share a single chip.”

7. She attended both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple as a child . “My mother understood very well that she was raising two Black daughters,” she wrote in her memoir. “And she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud Black women.”

8. Her prosecutorial style left some in Washington flummoxed. When Ms. Harris served in the Senate, she drew attention for her sharp questioning of witnesses. In 2017, as she was grilling then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions about his role as campaign surrogate for Mr. Trump and contact with Russian officials, a visibly flustered Mr. Sessions objected. “I’m not able to be rushed this fast,” he complained at one point. “It makes me nervous.”

9. She spent her high school years in Montreal . “It was a difficult transition,” she wrote, “since the only French I knew was from my ballet classes.”

10. She failed the California bar exam on her first try. “I couldn’t get my head around it,” she wrote. She soon realized her preparation amounted to “the most half-assed performance of my life.” She passed on her second attempt.

11. She tangled with Jamie Dimon. Ms. Harris got into a heated disagreement with Mr. Dimon, J.P. Morgan’s chief executive, when she was the attorney general of California. It happened during the financial crisis, when she was pursuing relief from big banks for homeowners who had faced foreclosure. “We were like dogs in a fight,” Ms. Harris recalled in her memoir. 12. But their most recent encounter was calmer. She eventually secured more than $20 billion in relief from the banks, and despite their history, Ms. Harris and Mr. Dimon had lunch at the White House in March.

13. She likes to cook . Ms. Harris loves food. She has ribbed her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, about his “ white guy tacos ,” shared her turkey cooking tips and said that she liked to read recipes to unwind . In 2019 Ms. Harris posted a series of cooking videos to YouTube, including one with the actor Mindy Kaling that has been watched more than six million times. “Senator Harris, I say this with respect, you’re kind of a show-off,” Ms. Kaling quipped. “Right?” Ms. Harris replied.

14. She goes way back with Barack Obama. She hosted a San Francisco fund-raiser for his 2004 Senate run, then was the first major office holder in California to endorse his 2008 presidential bid, even as most Democratic heavyweights threw their support behind Hillary Clinton. The endorsement, seen by some as a political risk, paid off. Mr. Obama endorsed her bid for California attorney general in 2010, and on Tuesday he praised her as a uniter on a mission to “build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal and more free.”

15. But she once turned down a job offer in his administration. It was 2014, and Eric Holder, Mr. Obama’s attorney general, called her and said he was planning to step down. He asked if she was interested in succeeding him. She considered the offer but ultimately declined.

16. Mr. Obama once publicly opined about Ms. Harris’s looks. The former president called Ms. Harris “by far the best-looking attorney general in the country” — and later apologized. The remark came at a fund-raiser in 2013, right after he also complimented her on her smarts and dedication to the law.

17. Her grandfather was a diplomat. Ms. Harris’s maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, was a civil servant in India. When she was a child, Mr. Gopalan served as a diplomat in Zambia. She has said he was among her “ favorite people ” and “ subconsciously influenced ” how she thinks.

18. She was a political activist in college. During her freshman year at Howard University in Washington, D.C., she spent many weekends on the National Mall protesting apartheid in South Africa.

19. She remains close with her line sisters in Alpha Kappa Alpha. At Howard, where she competed on the debate team and graduated in 1986, Ms. Harris joined the Black sorority. In July, she said that she kept a signed copy of a book by one of its founders, Norma Boyd, in her West Wing office “as a testament to our enduring legacy.”

20. She also belongs to a prominent, invite-only nonprofit for Black women. Ms. Harris joined The Links Incorporated in 2018. It’s one of the oldest groups of its kind in America — a service organization focused on Black Americans and other people of African ancestry. Members have included Rosa Parks, Betty Shabazz and the civil rights lawyer Constance Baker Motley.

21. Her footwear is distinct. Ms. Harris has a large collection of Chuck Taylors: a black pair, a white pair, Chucks with and without laces, Chucks for hot and cold weather, and “the platform kind for when I’m wearing a pantsuit.”

22. Her love of dancing has persisted from her childhood to the West Wing. While she was in Montreal, she started a dance group called Midnight Magic. More recently, videos of her dancing in public — to Q-Tip at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hiphop, down an escalator , with a marching band of children — have gone viral on social media.

23. Thursday will be doubly important for Ms. Harris. She is set to formally accept the Democratic nomination on her and Mr. Emhoff’s 10th wedding anniversary.

An earlier version of this article misidentified a video in which Kamala Harris was dancing. It was from an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop, not her 50th birthday.

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Alyce McFadden is a reporter covering New York City and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers. More about Alyce McFadden

Denmark forms ‘crisis ministry’ to combat spying and cyberattacks as Russian threat intensifies

Denmark’s government will create a new ministry for state security and emergency management in a bid to better prepare to deal with cyberattacks, espionage and other crises.

The move is part of a cabinet reorganization unveiled by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday, and comes as the threat from Russia is perceived to be increasing. Danish authorities have increased preparedness and recommended Danes should do the same.

“We must prepare for more cyberattacks,” Frederiksen said at a news conference in Copenhagen.

“We risk that parts of the critical infrastructure may be shut down,” she said. “We are seeing more severe weather events — extreme rain, floods, droughts — and on top of that comes the espionage threat and environmentally damaging incidents.”

Denmark is particularly concerned over Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers traversing its narrow straits and posing an environmental threat, with authorities powerless to stop the vessels, many of which are decrepit.

Earlier this year the government asked citizens to  prepare for an attack  or other potential crisis by stockpiling supplies of water, food and medicine, and keeping iodine tablets at home — guidance that’s been commonplace in a number of European countries for years.

Denmark’s coalition government will also create a ministry that will be charged with implementing the recently agreed  climate plan  for agriculture, while a new Europe department will plan and oversee Denmark’s European Union presidency next year.

The prime minister also named Dan Jorgensen, Denmark’s minister for global climate policy, as new the EU commissioner. Ministers for the new departments will be named on Thursday.

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How did divers manage to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline? We went down to the spot to find out

German network ard chartered yacht and divers to see how sabotage occurred.

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It was an event that rocked Europe and shook world affairs. 

Early in the morning on Sept. 26, 2022, a series of powerful undersea explosions damaged pipelines under the Baltic Sea near Denmark that carried Russian natural gas to Germany. 

Fingers were immediately pointed at Ukraine, which had been at war with Russia since the latter invaded in February of that year. Ukraine denied involvement, and in the absence of reliable information, conspiracy theories proliferated about who attacked the Nord Stream pipeline.

Did a Russian submarine intentionally destroy it in order to cut off the gas supply to Germany, a country allied with Ukraine? Was it the CIA, as famed U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh wrote? 

The German government has been tightlipped about the affair for two years, but this week, German media outlets ARD, Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit jointly reported that federal prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant against a Ukrainian man. A Polish government spokesperson confirmed it.

The German reports identified the man as Volodymyr Z., a diving instructor who last resided in Poland. In a brief telephone conversation on Tuesday with reporters from ARD, Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit, Volodymyr Z. expressed surprise at the accusations and denied involvement.

A report this week by the Wall Street Journal also pointed to Ukraine, suggesting the operation was carried out by Ukrainian soldiers and civilians with diving expertise and under the direction of Ukraine's then-commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Journalists at ARD, Germany's public broadcaster, have been hot on the trail since the shocking explosions took place. I was one of the reporters who was part of the team that spent months piecing together what may have occurred. 

To understand what happened to the Nord Stream pipeline that day, ARD chartered the very yacht the perpetrators allegedly used and sent divers into the roiling waters of the Baltic Sea to see how the pipeline might have been attacked.

Group chartered sailing yacht

Several outlets have reported that in early September 2022, a sailing yacht called Andromeda set sail from the port of Hohe Düne in Rostock, Germany. According to the ARD investigation, the commando that was to destroy the pipelines was on board the Andromeda. The group is said to have consisted of six people — five men and one woman. Among them, it is suspected, was Volodymyr Z.

After stops in Rügen, Bornholm and Christiansø in Denmark, Sandhamn in Sweden and Kołobrzeg in Poland, the boat returned to Rostock. 

At some point during the trip, investigators believe the crew dove from the yacht down to the seabed and, in the darkness of the Baltic Sea, attached the explosive devices to the pipeline at a depth of around 80 metres. 

What happened later is well-known. At 2:03 a.m. local time on Sept. 26, 2022, the first explosion damaged Nord Stream 2. Approximately 16 hours later, three other explosions damaged Nord Stream 1. Investigators later found residue of the explosive HMX, also known as octogen, on board the Andromeda.

• Germany issued arrest warrant for Ukrainian diver in Nord Stream pipeline attack
• Denmark, like Sweden before them, ends probe into Nord Stream pipeline 'sabotage'

During our investigation, we wondered just how hard it would have been to carry out such a mission. 

The Andromeda is a charter yacht. Anyone can rent it — so we rented it, too, and took three divers with us.  

As with many charter yachts, the Andromeda was not in the best condition — our skipper called it "one of the worst boats I've ever sailed with." 

He said several electrical components were broken and that the yacht didn't move well in the waves. Then there was the swim platform, which the divers would need to get on and off the boat. If the swell is high, the platform moves up and down, punching into the sea. A diver trying to get back on the boat could be slammed on the head by the platform, causing serious injury. For us, this risk was too high. 

So we returned the Andromeda and chartered a professional diving vessel with a crew that usually recovers Second World War explosives from the bed of the Baltic Sea. 

We then drove to the exact spot where the first explosion happened — 120 kilometres off the German coast, with the Danish island Bornholm in sight.

Trained divers required

We arrived at 6 a.m. to witness a symbolic moment in the Baltic Sea. 

A Russian military ship appeared. Through our radio, we heard, "Russian warship delta echo, U.S. warship Yankee." The U.S. Navy was trying to make contact with the Russian Navy right before our eyes. How could a sabotage operation have gone on undetected in this environment?

The burst pipeline lay almost 80 metres beneath us, a depth not every diver could handle. 

You need to be trained as a tech diver. At that depth, you have to breathe a special mixture of oxygen, helium and nitrogen, and that means carrying about 220 pounds of equipment. 

It is also pitch black at the bottom of the sea. The multiple scuba tanks gave the divers about 40 minutes to find the pipeline, which means they needed to know precisely where to look. A sonar device was required to locate the pipeline beforehand. The Andromeda did not have this kind of device on board, but our new vessel did. 

Our tech divers found the burst pipeline on their second try and filmed it. 

The difficult part for the divers was returning to the surface. The pressure is so intense that if the ascent is not done correctly, divers could experience serious symptoms like paralysis or damage to their lungs. Doing proper decompression from such a depth — which requires divers to switch to a different gas mix — takes about two hours. 

Conducting a complex mission like that from the Andromeda would have been difficult and dangerous. According to the German investigation, it's plausible Volodymyr Z. was trained for dives like that.

Everyone who has examined the Andromeda agrees it's not the vessel anyone would choose to secure a mission. 

As our tech diver Derk Remmers put it: "I would use the Andromeda for a vacation, but not a sabotage mission."

Yet this could be precisely why the saboteurs used it. To stay undetected and unaccountable — which they managed to do until the charges were made public this week.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lea Struckmeier is an investigative journalist and presenter at ARD, Germany's public broadcaster. She is currently spending her Arthur F. Burns Fellowship with CBC.

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