In the face of sanctions, Russia’s oligarchs are moving their Superyachts to destinations such as the Maldives which has no extradition.

An increasing number of Superyachts belonging to Russia’s wealthiest are on the move, with some of the very biggest either in, or moving into, the Indian Ocean, an analysis by «Bloomberg» (being paywall) showed. 

Currently, the four largest yachts in the Maldives are Russian-owned.

The largest vessel in the area is the 140 meter «Ocean Victory» belonging to Victor Rashinkov, and another the 111 meter «Clio» of Oleg Deripaska, and the 142 meter «Nord» owned by Alexi Mordashov.

Andrey Kostin's «Sea Rhapsody» is reportedly heading for the Seychelles after departing from Turkey on February 18, which was before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 21.

Superyacht Group estimates 7 to 10 percent of the global fleet of Superyachts is Russian-owned. 

Dilbar Seized

Clearly, the oligarchs moving their floating palaces want to avoid the fate of the «Dilbar,» owned by Alisher Usmanov, which was seized in Hamburg by German authorities, according to a report by «Forbes» (behind paywall).

Russian President Vladimir Putin avoided the same fate for his yacht «Graceful» at the beginning of February. The vessel had been at the Bloem+Voss shipyard in Hamburg for overhaul since September 2021. After media (in German) reports, the ship left in a hurry and is now said to be in Kaliningrad, the former Königsberg.

Yacht Spotting

Yacht spotting might well be a modern-day equivalent of train spotting. There is even a website dedicated to this called «Superyacht fan.» Given current events, spotters might have lots to look out for.