European officials have seized two superyachts owned by Russian businessmen who are allegedly closely associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to reports.
Treasury Minister Bruno Le Mer said French officials seized a yacht linked to Igor Setin, CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft, at a port in the Mediterranean of La Ciotat on Thursday. ..
“Thanks to French customs officers for imposing European Union sanctions on people close to the Kremlin,” Le Mer said. Twitter with the letter..
according to Agence France-PresseThe letter states that French authorities seized the Amore Bello yacht in La Ciotat on March 2, following European Union sanctions against Russia.
The letter states that the 280-foot (85.6-meter) yacht, including the pool that turned into a heliport, was owned by a company “Sechin is a major shareholder.”
Sechin has not yet publicly commented on the seizures.
In another seizure on Thursday, French authorities took another cargo ship at the port of Loiret in Brittany. This was also related to Russia’s interests. Reuters reported.
Elsewhere, on Wednesday, German authorities also reportedly seized a $ 600 million superyacht owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.
Usmanov was one of a series of millionaires licensed by the European Union in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Sanctions cover Russia’s financial, energy and transportation sectors, as well as their export control and visa policies.
Uzbekistan-born Russian businessman, Oligarch 49% stake USM is a Russian investment group that manages Metalloinvest, one of the world’s largest iron ore producers, and the telecommunications company MegaFon.
Usmanov, the sixth wealthiest Russian with a wealth of $ 19.5 billion according to the Bloomberg Asset Index, has also invested in JD.com and Uber Technologies to dominate the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
According to reports, the businessman was frozen by the EU on Tuesday, and his yacht, Dilbar, was confiscated by Hamburg authorities, which had been undergoing refurbishment since late October.
According to Forbes, the 512-foot (156-meter) yacht was built in 2016 and is considered the world’s largest motor yacht in total tons. It typically has a resident 96 crew and is designed to comfortably accommodate up to 24 guests in 12 suites.According to, the boat is estimated to be worth $ 594 million Bloomberg Billionaires Index..
EU authorities call Usmanov “Parent Kremlin Oligarch He has a particularly close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is “called one of Vladimir Putin’s favorite oligarchs.”
“He is believed to be one of the Russian businessmen entrusted with providing the flow of funds, but their position depends on the will of the President. Mr Putin stands in front of President Putin. “It is reported that he has solved his business problem,” officials said.
“According to the FinCEN file, he paid $ 6 million to Vladimir Putin’s influential adviser, Valentin Yumashev. Dmitry, Vice-Chair of the Russian Security Council and former President and Prime Minister of Russia.・ Medvejev benefited from the personal use of the luxurious residences managed by Mr. Usmanov. “
“Therefore, he actively supported Russian decision makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine, either physically or financially,” EU officials said.
Usmanov Tuesday statement In it, he argued that the EU’s actions were “unfair” and were “subject to restrictions” by the EU.
“The reason adopted to justify the sanctions is a series of false defamation allegations that damage my honor, dignity, and business reputation. I am all legal to protect my honor and reputation. I will use the means, “he said.
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Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She focuses primarily on the United States and covers the news and business of The Epoch Times.