Spain impounds third yacht linked to Russian oligarch

BARCELONA, March 16, 2022 (AFP) – Spanish authorities impounded Wednesday a third yacht suspected of belonging to a Russian oligarch as part of European Union sanctions over the Ukraine war, the transport ministry said.

The 135-metre long yacht, the Crescent, cannot leave the northeastern port of Tarragona while the police determine if it “belongs or is under the control of” someone on the EU sanctions list, it said in a statement.

The yacht reportedly belongs to Igor Sechin, the head of Russia’s oil giant Rosneft and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Crescent has been docked in Tarragona, a port city some 95 kilometres (60 miles) down the coast from Barcelona, since November.

It requested permission to depart the port on March 4 but did not set sail, the ministry said.

Sechin is on the European Union’s list of Russian tycoons targeted by sanctions imposed by the European Union following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Spanish authorities on Tuesday impounded a yacht called Lady Anastasia on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca which reportedly belongs to Russian tycoon Alexander Mikheev, the head of weapons exporting group Rosoboronexport.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Monday during a TV interview that police had impounded an 85-metre-long yacht in Barcelona.

That yacht is named Valeria and it belongs to Sergei Chemezov, who heads Russian defence firm Rostec.

The authorities in Italy and France have also impounded yachts with links to Russian oligarchs as part of Europe’s efforts to pressure Putin to pull back from Ukraine.

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