A former KGB agent, a luxury yacht and a boycott in a Norwegian port

Will Ragnar finally hold anchors? Immobilized in the Arctic, the luxurious yacht of a Russian oligarch, a former KGB officer, may have found some of the fuel that the Norwegians have denied him for weeks because of the war in Ukraine.

The imposing ship stands out in the port of Narvik, a small town in northern Norway. With its inverted bow, its platform for helicopters and, like the matryoshka, another large vessel installed at the rear, its stylized gray silhouette contrasts with the mineral-laden merchant ships.

Its 68 meters long house countless toys: an amphibious vehicle, jet skis, underwater robots, snowmobiles, a giant slide or an English pub.

But what has most attracted the attention of the locals is the identity of the owner, Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, according to various specialized media.

Wealthy after a lucrative step under the leadership of mining giant Norilsk Nickel, this 67-year-old businessman would be linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he shared service for the KGB in St. Petersburg, which was still called Leningrad.

Although he is not on the list of Russians targeted by European sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine, his alleged proximity to the head of the Kremlin generates rejection.

So when Ragnar had to stop and fill up the tank on February 15 in Narvik, nobody wanted to sell him fuel.

- “Let them row home” -

“I have no sympathy for the behavior of Russians in Ukraine. Why should we help them?” , said Sven Holmlund, director of one of the local suppliers.

“Let them row home. Or let them say the candles,” he exclaimed in statements to Norwegian television NRK.

Unable to return to its port in Malta, the yacht has been moored for five weeks.

From there he has seen NATO warships participating in the major military maneuvers of the Cold Response 2022 exercise in Norway pass by. This week he shared a pontoon with the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The captain of the yacht, a former soldier of the British Royal Marine who says he doesn't know the owner, has even lost his English phlegm.

In a note taped in the harbor, Rob Lankaster said he was “very disappointed at the double standards” of his Norwegian guests who agree to supply Russian fishermen, but not the yacht he commands, along with an entirely Western crew.

According to the Superyacht fan website, the Ragnar was put on sale in 2021 for 69.5 million euros ($76.4 million). But there's no indication that he's changed hands.

- Will you set sail on Tuesday? -

The matter bothers the Norwegian authorities, who have aligned themselves with almost all the sanctions adopted by their neighbors in the European Union, but often hesitate to irritate their powerful Russian neighbor.

A hypothetical embargo on the yacht is off the table, as France, Italy or Spain have done with other oligarchs, given that Strzhalkovsky is not on the blacklist of sanctioned figures.

Although he did not want to openly urge suppliers to change positions, Norwegian Fisheries Minister Bjørnar Skjæran seems to be sending signals in this direction.

“We can all agree that the best thing today would be if the yacht could follow its route,” he told NRK.

According to the chain, a supplier finally decided to sell 300,000 liters of diesel, which would allow it to set sail on Tuesday.

In the port of Narvik, a tanker is waiting next to the Ragnar and the ship's crew seems to be in full preparation, AFP noted.

But nobody wants to let go of garment. Only one Briton, who seems to be in command, agrees to respond laconically to some questions.

Will they set sail on Tuesday? Not in principle. Why? Dark problems in filling the fuel. It's impossible to know more.

“This whole situation is absurd,” he denies.

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