Spanish authorities on Tuesday seized a second yacht in the Balearic archipelago that they are seeking to prove belonged to one of the Russian tycoons sanctioned by the European Union after the invasion of Ukraine, the Transport Ministry announced.
A first yacht was confiscated on Monday (14) in Barcelona, according to an announcement made last night by the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez.
The second boat, 48 meters long and called “Lady Anastasia”, was held in Puerto Adriano, on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.
The police are verifying that the ownership, possession, or control of the vessel corresponds to an individual or legal entity that is on the EU’s negative list. If so, the boat will be seized, the Ministry said in a statement.
According to a police source, authorities suspect that the ship belongs to Alexandre Mijeev, general director of Rosoboronexport, the Russian public company responsible for selling weapons.
In late February, a Ukrainian crew member of the “Lady Anastasia” was arrested for trying to sink the yacht to get revenge on her owner, local police told AFP.
Rosoboronexport is a subsidiary of Rostec, a state-owned conglomerate that brings together the essentials of the Russian military-industrial complex, led by Sergei Chemezov.
When announcing the first retention, Pedro Sánchez said it was a yacht worth around US$ 140 million (R$ 718.3 million) and assured that there would be more similar actions.
According to the newspaper El País, “Valeria” belongs to Sergei Chemezov, a figure close to President Vladimir Putin.
“The government is acting with diligence, it’s part of the European response,” government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez told a news conference on Tuesday.
Serguei Chemezov and Alexandre Mikheiev are on the list of individuals affected by European sanctions and which was expanded yesterday with the names of tycoons such as Roman Abramovich, owner of English football club Chelsea.
The Western response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine includes the confiscation of bank accounts, mansions and luxury boats from Russian tycoons.
“L’Amore Vero”, a yacht valued between 100 and 120 million euros (from R$562.9 million to R$737.4 million), was seized last Thursday (10), in the south of France.
On Saturday, Italy announced that it had frozen around 140 million euros ($788 million) in assets belonging to Russian oligarchs, including two yachts.
One of Roman Abramovich’s yachts, the “Solaris”, departed Barcelona last week and has been in Montenegro Bay since Saturday.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
