European customs officials seize Russian oligarchs' luxury yachts

European authorities seized super yachts owned by oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the sanctions levied against Russia following the Kremlin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The seizures were announced as Western governments begin implementing massive sanctions – including targeted asset freezes – against the Russian government and key political and business figures, Reuters reported.

According to the BBC, a yacht owned by Igor Sechin – Putin’s “de-facto deputy” and president of Russian oil company Rosneft – was captured by French customs officials near Marseille on Wednesday after reports indicated that the 290-foot vessel named “Amore Vero” was “taking steps to sail off urgently.”

"Thank you to the French customs officers who are enforcing the European Union's sanctions against those close to the Russian government", Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in a Tweet.

Un yacht appartenant à un oligarque russe a été saisi.
Merci aux douaniers français qui font respecter les sanctions de l'Union européenne à l'encontre des proches du pouvoir russe. pic.twitter.com/AZVzmlet2P

— Bruno Le Maire (@BrunoLeMaire) March 3, 2022

French authorities reportedly also seized a Russian-owned cargo vessel in the port of Lorient, Brittany, on Thursday.

Similarly, German authorities seized Russian metal tycoon Alisher Usmanov’s 512-foot vessel (valued at $600 million) named “Dilbar” in a Hamburg shipyard, Forbes reported.

But as oligarchs are reportedly “shocked” to learn that sanctions have finally struck, many have begun to move their assets in an attempt to prevent any more Western seizures.

At least five yachts belonging to Russian billionaries including Oleg Deripaska, Alexander Abramov and Vladimir Potanin, Russia's richest man, were spotted in the Maldives -- widely considered a safe port as it does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. or many European nations.

In a tweet Saturday, the White House said: "This coming week, we will launch a multilateral Transatlantic task force to identify, hunt down, and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian companies and oligarchs — their yachts, their mansions, and any other ill-gotten gains that we can find and freeze under the law."

This coming week, we will launch a multilateral Transatlantic task force to identify, hunt down, and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian companies and oligarchs – their yachts, their mansions, and any other ill-gotten gains that we can find and freeze under the law.

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 26, 2022