Russian Oligarch Yachts; Ukrainian Solution

That was my first thought as well

Perhaps the 5mil offered by US government is incentive enough?

Once hostilities have ceased the complex legal work begins on a case by case, oligarch by oligarch , boat by boat basis, It will take awhile, years probably, and results, as the pharmaceutical people like to say, will vary. Of these things are legal fortunes made. The good news is that a whole new generation of lawyers will be able to afford yachts,

In fairness to RA, he could have just said "sorry staff, too bad, so sad"...

Saw a report that Dutch customs have frozen 14 boats, 12 being built and 2 being refitted. Even though the owners don’t appear as being on the sanction list it s part of the sanctions against Russia.

going to seriously affect these builders

Storage and dockage will be added to the costs… those that are caught in transfer and financial sanctions against Russia will released when sanctions are lifted and the owners can pay the builders. If they have anything left at that point

those linked to sanctioned oligarchs will probably be in limbo a lot longer

I am absolutely speechless! Solandge has been released in Hamburg. She did some seatrails today and will leave Hamburg tonight. The German authorities were unable to prove the Russian ownership to the court. But the Russian owner of Solandge is well known to the yachting world. These Russian olgigarchs have screwed us again. They even could force Lürssen to finish the refit. These German and British Lawyers should be placed on a black list and never be booked again. Sometimes it is really bad to live in a constitutional state.

Any ship, property or bank account, where it cannot be proven, that the owner is not being Russian, should automatically be confiscated (and immediately auctioned) in the complete free world and I mean confiscated not just detained. With this money, the Ukraine should be supported.

There are several very expensive villas in Bavaria around the Tegernsee, where the ownership cannot be proven either. The neighbourhood knows exactly that the owners are Russians but the ownership is hidden behind several layers of complicated shell companies in offshore countries.

Honestly it is time to change some national and international laws. I am getting sick, that the free world is screwed every day by those mass murderers and liars in the Kremlin. All Russian diplomats and Oligarchs should be expelled immediately from all free world countries! We have evidence in Germany, that Russian diplomats are exerting pressure and threatening Ukrainian refuges already.

Can't Russia be completely disconnected from the world wide web, that we do not have to listen to their fake news and lies?

Next thing in Europe will be a complete energy embargo on Russia. No oil, no coal, no natural gas from Russia anymore. That will ruin our economy and the economy of Russia. But Putin will be bankrupt before us. The price of freedom is very high but it is worth it.

The old cold war motto: "better dead than red" is really valid again.

Sorry but I could not resist!

I am all for seizing the assets of anyone linked to the Putin regime but seizing any Russian owned asset is a step too far. Many Russians do not support the regime and are not responsible for what is happening in Ukraine.

better dead than red? Absolutely!

Pascal, You are correct, not every Russian is bad but all official Russians working and acting outside Russia are system compliant and system dependent. And the rich Russians living in our countries, especially the Oligarchs definately are!

For You guys Oligarchs are just rich people from an eastern country. But I have encountered several of them personally as jetty neighbours, on official events and in restaurants. Extremely unpleasant contemporaries, I must say. The hot spots in the Med and the Caribbean would be much nicer without them.

Just my 2 (Euro) cents

At the beginning of the conflict, when I canceled all businesses with Russia and closed my offices over there, I also retrieved all of my employees from Russia and the Ukraine including all local Ukrainians and their families. When I talked to my Ukrainian employees after they arrived in northern Germany and listened to their terrible experiences, I changed my far to tolerant opinion about the ruling political class in this country. I will never make any business with this country again. Change through trade has completely failed and is over for the future, as long as this regime is in power, period!

@HTMO9 ,

What I find equally confusing is how this regime could do this to it's closest neighbor...While Russians, in RU, might be living in a bubble now, they weren't before...So many friends and family across these borders it's hard to imagine the acceptance of such destruction... Sure, the Kremlin can create the narrative with it's populous now, but how does this play out when the dusts settles and the facts can't be suppressed?...Unless he plans on restricting his people from ever again being part of the free world...Is Putin rebuilding the wall he saw torn down? Three weeks ago, I helped a friend leave Kyiv and get across the border...This is surreal...I' be interested in your experience with these oligarchs, if you care to share...

Mr P. was a KGB officer in the seventies in the Dresden area in Germany. He was raised and trained in the KGB during the cold war and during the Leonid Iljitsch Breschnew aera. The fall of the soviet union was a catastrophy for him. His dream after 1990 was always the restauration of the sowjet empire. He learned the communist interpretation of the peaceful coexistence, which means quieten the enemy by talking and dealing with them but continue to prepare for the occupation of the world. And we fall in for that, we called that Change through Trade. Total BS, as we have learned now.

But his advisors either lied to him or didn't dare to tell him the truth about the real strength of the red army. He startet the occupation of the Ukraine in the believe, he would march through the whole country in a few days. Wrong!!!! The Ukrainean people are really willing to defend their country down to the last bullet and unless he uses nuclear or chemical weapons, he will finally loose that war, if the western world stays together and keeps the embargos tied. If the total energy embargo will be implemented, Russia will go bankrott within a few month.

The Oligarchs are part of the present system. They were allowed to robb the country for the price of supporting Mr. P. How can someone own oil and natural gas fields with the size of Texas within a few years or own the main international airport of Moscow within only a few years or the biggest defence companies without permission of the ruling class of that country. Mr. P is one of the richest Oligarchs of Russia himself with an estimated wealth of 200 Billion dollars. They never paid taxes in their country or in any of our countries. These Parasitic People only take, they never give.

I was jetty neighbour in Port Hercules of a several Russian Oligarchs. My wife an my daughters have been molested, these guys were mostly drunken and noisy and we even could watch them beating up their wifes or their whatever type of female companions.

We finally left Port Hercules for Antibes but only a season later they also came to Antibes. We left again for the Balearic Island but they are there too now. Now my family members and myself are leaving the harbour of Palma or Port Adriano within hours of our arrival. Off the shore, on the hook, we can have peace and quiet around us but even her we are molested by them as I wrote already above.

I am really looking forward to this season in the Med with their yachts being detained and nobody is accepting their credit cards or serving them in the shops and restaurants.

That was long overdue!!! I say again, better dead than red!

Just my 2 (Euro) cents

Very interesting perspective, one which is all too often not voiced.

Putin is KGB thug. Nothing more. Appeasement doesn’t work with thugs.

the future of this war is worrisome. Considering the issues the red army has what is he going to do. I read an article this morning about the only tank factory shutting down because of a lack of parts.

A cornered animal is dangerous. Remember china… they were cornered back in 2019 facing a trade deal that would have been a game changer and they unleashed the red flu on the world. Will Putin use a similar strategy ?

Let's keep the discussion focused yachts, oligarchs and the industry. Thanks!

I share most of your views re Putin and the regime...Been studying him for years...Just finished "Putin's Playbook" written by a former DIA officer, if you have any interest in these types of books...

But, I'm unfamiliar with the Oligarchs...Sure, I understand the narrative of how they came into their control and wealth, but never substantive info on their behavior...R.A. appears to be well liked, but what do I know....I know nothing of Usmanov, for example... I posted this pict in another thread before I learned of this one...As you mentioned Antibes and the oligarchs, here is Dilbar docked there (Pacific is off her Stbd) a few years ago...

I'm not questioning what you've said, but I want to understand as best I can......I presume you are talking about the "yachties" / crew and not the oligarchs themselves, or perhaps them too?

I find it troubling as the Russians should have to deal with the laws of these countries, like France or Spain....How do they get away with it? In Russia, I imagine they can get away with what they want, but these marinas are a different story. Putin seems to be blasting them with his words about them wanting to live in luxury in the west. I would have presumed they want to be respected here too...

Regarding the sanctions and how it relates to RU and the oligarchs going broke, I'm not sure I share your view...I'd like to think they are effective, but with the EU's dependence on energy, and RU demanding being paid in RUB, I'm not sure how this plays out... And, it doesn't seem like Crypto is helping the situation.. ( I'm going to keep China out of the discussion as to not run afoul with YF...

"Change through trade has completely failed" ....I agree, but remember these words...China is still out there and their position is both stronger and weaker.....anyway...

It's, frankly hard for me to understand how the money trail in ownership and maintenance of these megayachts can be so hard for governments like the US, UK, Germany and France to trace.....

Frankly, the complicity of governments and banking institutions will have to be explored.....while I am not against countries still enforcing banking secrecy laws...it is laughable to think the US or UK cant trace payments to their source, especially when these days dammed near everything is electronic, and if your dealing in dollars the Federal Reserve will know.....

No one is dealing with dollars. Dealing with multiple layers of companies and with Russian banks involved plus other banks.

Typical type situation, Russian company set up which then owns another Russian company which then owns another. Ownership of the original company blind. (Like in a few counties in the US). Wyoming is the best US state for anonymous ownership but Virgin Islands and Panama and the Bahamas are very good in that regard. Ok, so Russian company six levels down invests in Monaco company. Monaco company invests in another and then it in another and five levels down, a Monaco company contracts for a boat. All names shown are local managers in Monaco.

Russian crew, Russian staff know who uses it but not about to disclose and that doesn't tell you absolute ownership.

Simple examples are most strip clubs. Tell me who owns Club 54 in Fort Lauderdale? That will give you an idea that this isn't easy. Or Boardwalk? I just picked this one because many South Florida strip clubs are owned by Russians, but in general no strip club owner wants their name connected to it.