The United Kingdom seized a Russian oligarch's $50 million luxury yacht as a “warning” to Vladimir Putin

A $50 million luxury superyacht belonging to a Russian citizen was seized in London in retaliation for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, British national crime agency NCA reported on Tuesday.

The confiscation of the “Phi”, equipped with a swimming pool and wine cellar, the first luxury yacht ever seized in British waters, comes after the United Kingdom has sanctioned hundreds of Russian individuals and entities in recent weeks following the invasion of Ukraine on the orders of President Vladimir Putin.

Although its owner - whose identity was not revealed - is not sanctioned in the United Kingdom, the British parliament recently approved new powers that allow the executive to retain ships controlled, chartered or operated by people related to Russia.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps posted a photo on Twitter in which he poses in front of the “Phi”, the third largest yacht built by the 58-metre-long Dutch shipyard Royal Huisman, valued at £38 million ($50 million, €45 million).

“This government will continue to take strong action against anyone who has connections with the regime,” Russian tweeted. This seizure, in the waters of the River Thames in the London business district of Canary Wharf, is a “clear warning” to Putin, he said.

According to the NCA, the identity of the true owner of the boat was withheld, but investigators were able to trace it.

The vessel was registered in St. Kitts and Nevis, a small Caribbean tax haven, and carried a Maltese flag “to hide its origin,” according to the NCA, which highlighted its “vital role” in “the search for suspicious assets, the pursuit of illicit wealth facilitators and support for government partners in the implementation of the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.

Other European countries have recently seized luxury yachts belonging to oligarchs linked to the Kremlin. One of them is France, which blocked two new yachts belonging to the Russian oligarch Alexei Kuzmichev, one of the most influential in Russia, within the framework of sanctions adopted by the European Union (EU), a government source said Wednesday.

France already immobilized another yacht, the “Amore Vero”, owned by a company linked to the head of Russian oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, on March 3.

The new detentions occurred on 16 and 21 March in Cannes and Antibes, in the French Riviera (southeast), the source told AFP, which confirmed information from the newspaper Libération.

With its 24 meters in length, the ship called “La Petite Ourse” (Little Dipper, in French) was immobilized in Antibes, said the French Ministry of Economy. Its value would be about 4 million euros (about 4.4 million dollars), according to a knowledgeable source.

Named “La Petite Ourse II” (Little Dipper II), the ship blocked in Cannes is 16.5 meters long and worth 1.2 million euros (1.3 million dollars), according to a source close to the file.

Kuzmichev “is a large shareholder of the Alfa Group conglomerate”, according to the EU, which included him on March 15 on the list of those sanctioned by the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

The 59-year-old “is considered one of the most influential people in Russia, with well-established ties with the Russian president,” according to the European bloc.

“He is also an influential Russian businessman who intervenes in economic sectors that constitute a substantial source of income for the government,” Russia adds.

(With information from AFP)

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