President Putin moved his £75million superyacht three weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine to avoid having it seized as part of war sanctions, a new investigation has claimed.
Secret documents released by Russian investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh, who heads the anti-corruption foundation set up by Alexei Navalny, show the Russian president had his yacht ‘Graceful’ sail from from Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad two weeks before the invasion.
The documents show an email was sent by an employee of Russia’s largest shipping company, the SCF Group, to Blohm & Voss saying the owner of Graceful is unhappy with an on-going “refit” and wants the ship to sail out of the Hamburg port on February 1, 2022.
The email does not provide any reason why the owner of the yacht was unhappy with the on-going “refit”, which added two new balconies to the vessel and extended the pool.
“The owner is not happy with the retrofit. He is dissatisfied with the delays in the construction process,” the email says.
“The owner wants the Graceful to be brought to the Russian Federation on February 1st (...). Please mobilise an uninterrupted crew – 2 shifts.’
The email, sent on January 19, 2022, adds: “Please accelerate all works which may interfere with Graceful sailing out on 01 February.
“Please calculate the amount to be paid by Owners due to early departure. Crew and myself will provide full assistance to prepare Graceful for Towing.”
According to investigators, Blohm & Voss was set to work on Graceful for another year to fix open holes in its surface. But the company was forced to cancel its work and get the ship ready to set sail in just 12 days.
The yacht’s crew, based in Hamburg, were also forced to move out of their homes so they could move the vessel.
Reports suggest the company did not meet the deadline of February 1, with pictures showing Graceful being towed out of Hamburg on February 7.
Sanctions imposed by the UK, US, European Union and other allied nations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have seen Putin and his allied Oligarchs have their assets seized across the world, including numerous superyachts and houses.
Scheherazade superyacht— (YouTube/GibralterYachting)
But president Putin was preparing for this eventuality by ordering Graceful - which has since been renamed Kosatka (Russian for ‘killer whale’) - to return to a friendly port well in advance, according to investigators.
Graceful is alleged to have cost the Russian president 87 million euros (£75 million) and has a 50-foot indoor swimming pool that turns into a theatre and dance floor with the press of a button, a helipad, a gym, and a wine cave that can store 400 bottles.
It also features a large library, spa and plunge pools and a cocktail bar.
President Putin allegedly owns three yachts, however, his officials deny this.
As well as Graceful, Mr Putin is alleged to own the Olympia, gifted to him by a top oligarch almost two decades ago, and the £550 million ‘floating palace’ Scheherazade - seized by the West.
