russian yacht a

• Motorcycles
• Car of the Month
• Destinations
• Men’s Fashion
• Watch Collector
• Art & Collectibles
• Vacation Homes
• Celebrity Homes
• New Construction
• Home Design
• Electronics
• Fine Dining
• Costa Palmas
• L’Atelier
• Les Marquables de Martell
• Reynolds Lake Oconee
• Scott Dunn Travel
• Wilson Audio
• 672 Wine Club
• Sports & Leisure
• Health & Wellness
• Best of the Best
• The Ultimate Gift Guide

Italian Police Seize Russian Oligarch Andrey Melnichenko’s 468-Foot ‘Sailing Yacht A’

The list keeps growing with the impoundment of "sailing yacht a" and suspicion that "scheherazade" might be connected to vladimir putin., michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

• This New 144-Foot Superyacht Has a Glassed-In Dining Room With Ocean Views
• Taking a Bow: How Yacht Makers Are Rethinking the Front End
• Airliners Are Trying Radical New Wing Designs to Improve Fuel-Efficiency
• Share This Article

Italy’s finance police seized one of the world’s most iconic sailing yachts, owned by a Russian oligarch. Andrey Melnichenko’s Sailing Yacht A , with an estimated value of $578 million, was impounded in dry dock at the Port of Trieste, according to a statement from the Guardia di Finanzia. Melninchenko was sanctioned by the European Union on March 9 as part of a group of Russian oligarchs who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin following its Ukraine invasion to discuss the potential economic impact of EU and American sanctions.

Related Stories

Ponant just added a new 79-foot sailing catamaran to its fleet for more intimate cruises.

• First Drive: The 2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore Gets Held Back by Its Own Bleeding-Edge Tech
• This Is the Last V-10 Lamborghini Huracán

Melnichenko owns the major fertilizer producer EuroChem Group and SUEK, a coal company. He also owns the 390-foot Motor Yacht A. A spokesperson said in a statement that Melnichenko has nothing to do with politics and that he has removed himself from the board of Eurochem and SUEK after the EU sanctioned him. “He has no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine. He has no political affiliations,” said the statement.

US intelligence officials have also said they are trying to link the Scheherazade , a $700 million superyacht in dry dock in Italy, to Putin. The New York Times reported that the US government has made no definite conclusions about the yacht’s ownership, but believe it could be owned by the Russian president. The yacht’s captain, Guy Bennett-Pearce, told the Times that Putin had no stake in the yacht, but declined to name the owner. Bennett-Pearce said he would provide Italian police with documents that divulged the owner’s name. The Italian Sea Group, which owns the shipyard where Scheherazade is dry docked, said that, based on “checks carried out by relevant authorities,” the yacht is “not attributable to the property of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Roman Abramovich, who owns Solaris. last week was placed on the UK sanctions list.  Courtesy of Lloyd Werft

Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was also added to the UK sanctions list days after he announced the sale of the football club. Abramovich, who owns a string of supercars and several private jets, also owns the superyachts Solaris and Eclipse. Solaris is reportedly sailing towards Israel, where Abramovich has dual citizenship.

On March 3, France’s finance ministry said that it had impounded Amore Vero , a yacht owned by Igor Sechin, CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft. The EU had sanctioned Sechin earlier that week, calling him one of Putin’s “most trusted and closest advisors, as well as his personal friend.” German authorities also detained the 512-foot superyacht Dilbar in Hamburg, owned by Alisher Usmanov. Reports said the crew was fired last week. On March 5, Italian authorities impounded two yachts, Lena and Lady M , owned by Gennady Timchenko and Alexei Mordashov, respectively.

On Friday, the US State Department placed Viktor Vekselberg on its sanctions list. Two of Vekeselberg’s luxury assets, an Airbus A319-115 jet and his yacht Tango , were identified as “blocked property.”

The superyacht Scheherazade was impounded in Italy during an investigation to uncover whether it is owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Video Still/YT

The seizures have prompted the superyacht industry to distance itself from the oligarchs. Italian yacht builders Sanlorenzo and Azimut both released statements that they have limited exposure to Russian clients, and none are on the sanctions list. Heesen Yachts released a statement that two Russians sitting on its supervisory board of directors have resigned their positions. The builder said Heesen is 100-percent Dutch-owned company and that Pavel Sukhoruchkin and Pavel Novoselov had nothing to do with its day-to-day operations.

Ownership of many Russian yachts is often hidden by shell companies in tax havens like the Cayman Islands. They are not only hard to trace, but actually seizing and selling them could present a legal quagmire that could take years to resolve.

Some are wondering whether seizing the oligarchs’ private yachts and jets will work. “Sanctions are another example of the West doing what it does best, which is just throwing a lot of cash at the problem and hoping it gets solved,” Olga Chyzh, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, told the Washington Post. “However sad they are to let go of their Western assets, oligarchs have even more to lose if Putin is no longer there to protect them.”

Eclipse is another yacht owned by Roman Abramovich.  Robb Report File

In the meantime, some oligarchs are taking their yachts to destinations like the Maldives , the Seychelles and Dubai, which have no extradition treaties with the US and EU. Dubai has become a favorite destination for Russian tourism and wealth.

Alex Finley, a former CIA officer, has been tracking the yachts from Barcelona. Using the hashtag “Yacht Watch,” she posts updates on Twitter for Russian-owned superyachts.

“For me, the yachts are a big, easily recognizable symbol of the more serious side of this [Russian invasion]: These are people who support a dictator, and have been supporting him in carrying out destabilization operations against democracy, while at the same time coming here and taking all the benefits of the exact same democracies they were destabilizing,” Finley told the Washington Post.

Read More On:

• Azimut Yachts
• Sanlorenzo Yachts

More Marine

You Can Now Play Padel Ball on the Deck of Your Superyacht

This New 239-Foot Megayacht Concept Pairs Sleek, Minimalist Design With Over-the-Top Luxury

Numarine Just Delivered 3 New Explorer Yachts at Once

Culinary Masters 2024

MAY 17 - 19 Join us for extraordinary meals from the nation’s brightest culinary minds.

Give the Gift of Luxury

Latest Galleries in Marine

Day One Superyacht in Photos

12 Fascinating Facts About ‘Kismet,’ the 400-Foot Megayacht With an Underwater Lounge

More from our brands, nicole richie goes bold with belted saint laurent bodysuit on ‘tonight show,’ talks ‘don’t tell mom the babysitter’s dead’ remake, messi or not, mls teams make big plans for inter miami, canneseries entry ‘operation sabre’ shows serbia’s ‘last moment of hope’ before the killing of pm zoran đinđić: ‘it didn’t just change our politics. it changed our lives’, patti astor, founder of downtown new york’s legendary fun gallery, dies at 74, the best swim goggles for men, according to competitive swimmers.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Italian authorities seize one of world’s largest superyachts from oligarch

Sailing Yacht A, owned by Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko, seized in Trieste on Friday evening

• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news

Italian authorities have seized a €530m (£444m) superyacht owned by Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko as part of EU sanctions following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine .

Sy A – short for Sailing Yacht A – was seized on Friday evening in the port of Trieste after being identified by Italian police as belonging to the billionaire owner of EuroChem Group, a major fertiliser producer, and the coal company SUEK.

Video footage reportedly showed police cars with flashing lights approaching the yacht, said to be one of the largest in the world, and boarding it.

EuroChem and SUEK said in statements on Thursday that Melnichenko had resigned as a member of the board in both companies and withdrawn as their beneficiary, effective on Wednesday.

It comes as Roman Abramovich’s superyacht Solaris was pictured arriving in Tivat, Montenegro, on Saturday. The vessel left a port in Barcelona earlier this week as the UK government imposed sanctions on the Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club.

On Thursday, it was tracked off the coast of Sicily after reportedly undergoing repairs earlier in the week in Barcelona, one of a number of apparently hurried sailings of Russian billionaires moving their superyachts to avoid seizure. His other yacht, the more luxurious Eclipse, was on Thursday located to the west of the Canary Islands.

A European Council decision authorising the sanctions against Melnichenko says he was one of 37 business leaders who met with the Russian president after the invasion of Ukraine to talk about the potential economic impact of EU and US sanctions.

Melnichenko, the document states, “belongs to the most influential circle of Russian businesspeople with close connections to the Russian government”.

It adds: “He is therefore involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine.”

A spokesperson for Melnichenko, Alex Andreev, said the businessman had “no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine. He has no political affiliations”.

“There is no justification whatsoever for placing him on the EU sanctions list,” Andreev said. “We will be disputing these baseless and unjustified sanctions, and believe that the rule of law and common sense will prevail.”

Italian authorities have separately seized €143m worth of luxury yachts and villas owned by Russian billionaires in luxury destinations including Lake Como, Sardinia and the Ligurian coast.

Nobiskrug, the manufacturer of Sailing Yacht A, describes the three-mast vessel on its website as “one of the world’s largest and most advanced superyachts” and the “ultimate embodiment of German superyachts built for the 22nd century”. It is almost 143 metres long, the mainmast is 100 metres above the waterline, and the yacht has a gross tonnage of about 12,600.

Other yachts seized by Italian police include Lady M, owned by Alexei Mordashov who, before being blacklisted this week by the EU, was the richest man in Russia. A yacht owned by Gennady Timchenko, another billionaire with close ties to Putin, was also seized.

Most viewed

Italy seizes Russian billionaire Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A

• Medium Text

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Emilio Parodi in Bergamo and Stevo Vasiljevic in Tivat Writing by Giselda Vagnoni Editing by Frances Kerry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

World Chevron

Scottish police receive thousands of reports after new hate crime law

Scottish police said on Wednesday they had received more than 7,000 online reports of offences in the first week since the introduction of a new hate crime law that opponents say could curb free speech and waste police time.

Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday they targeted four vessels, including what they described as a U.S. warship, with drones and naval missiles in the Gulf of Aden, part of their stated campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Become an FT subscriber

Try unlimited access Only $1 for 4 weeks

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel anytime during your trial.

• Global news & analysis
• Expert opinion
• Special features
• FirstFT newsletter
• Videos & Podcasts
• Android & iOS app
• FT Edit app
• 10 gift articles per month

Explore more offers.

Standard digital.

• FT Digital Edition

Premium Digital

Print + premium digital, digital standard + weekend, digital premium + weekend.

Today's FT newspaper for easy reading on any device. This does not include ft.com or FT App access.

• 10 additional gift articles per month
• Global news & analysis
• Exclusive FT analysis
• Videos & Podcasts
• FT App on Android & iOS
• Everything in Standard Digital
• Premium newsletters
• Weekday Print Edition
• FT Weekend newspaper delivered Saturday plus standard digital access
• FT Weekend Print edition
• FT Weekend Digital edition
• FT Weekend newspaper delivered Saturday plus complete digital access
• Everything in Preimum Digital

Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

• Everything in Print
• Everything in Premium Digital

Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

Terms & Conditions apply

Explore our full range of subscriptions.

Why the ft.

See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

International Edition

• New Terms of Use
• New Privacy Policy
• Your Privacy Choices
• Closed Captioning Policy

Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by  Factset . Powered and implemented by  FactSet Digital Solutions .  Legal Statement .

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. FAQ - New Privacy Policy

Italy seizes Russian billionaire Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A

The vessel is the world's biggest sailing yacht.

FOX Business Flash top headlines for March 11

Here are your FOX Business Flash top headlines for March 11.

Italian police have seized a superyacht owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, the prime minister's office said on Saturday, a few days after the businessman was placed on an EU sanctions list following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The 143-metre (470-foot) Sailing Yacht A, which has a price tag of 530 million euros ($578 million), has been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, the government said.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug in Germany, the vessel is the world's biggest sailing yacht, the government said.

Melnichenko owned major fertiliser producer EuroChem Group and coal company SUEK. The companies said in statements on Thursday that he had resigned as a member of the board in both companies and withdrawn as their beneficiary, effective Wednesday.

The luxury yacht " Sailing Yacht A " with her unique form, which was built for Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, sails past Italian Isola del Giglio island on July 10, 2018, near the "Scole" rocks where the Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed l ((Photo by VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Melnichenko, Alex Andreev, said the businessman had "no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine. He has no political affiliations".

RUSSIAN OLIGARCH YACHTS, LUXURY COASTAL PROPERTIES SEIZED BY ITALY: PHOTOS

"There is no justification whatsoever for placing him on the EU sanctions list," Andreev said. "We will be disputing these baseless and unjustified sanctions, and believe that the rule of law and common sense will prevail.

Since last week Italian police have seized villas and yachts worth more than 700 million euros ($763.63 million) from high-profile Russians who have been placed on the EU sanctions list, Economy Minister Daniele Franco said on Saturday.

This photograph taken on March 10, 2022, shows a sailing yacht A owned by Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko in Trieste, Italy. - The sailing yacht A is the largest private sail-assisted motor yacht in the world. (Photo by Jure Makovec / AFP) (Photo ( (Photo by JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)

"So far we have hit what was visible, now we have to hit the rest such as shareholdings. We are doing a great job to bring out what is shielded by trusts and front names," Giuseppe Zafarana, head of the Italian tax police, told journalists in Bergamo on Saturday.

The police operations were part of a coordinated drive by Western states to penalise wealthy Russians they say are linked to President Vladimir Putin.

RUSSIAN OLIGARCH ALISHER USMANOV’S $600M YACHT SEIZED IN GERMANY: REPORTS

Separately, a superyacht reported to be owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich arrived in Montenegro's territorial waters on Saturday morning, according to a Reuters photographer.

A Finance Police officer boards the superyacht from Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko which has been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, Italy, March 12, 2022, in this screen grab taken from video, Finance Police/Handout via R (Finance Police/Handout via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)

The Solaris is one of a string of yachts owned by Chelsea Football Club owner Abramovich, according to reports in luxury goods publications SuperYachtFan, SuperYacht Times and Forbes.

The 140-metre (460-foot) vessel is moored off the luxury resort Porto Montenegro in the town of Tivat. The boat left Barcelona on Tuesday.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Britain imposed sanctions on Abramovich on Thursday, freezing his assets and citing what it called his close relationship with Putin. Abramovich has denied having such ties.

($1 = 0.9167 euros)

(Reporting by Emilio Parodi in Bergamo and Stevo Vasiljevic in TivatWriting by Giselda VagnoniEditing by Frances Kerry)

Impounded last year, the sanctioned Russian billionaire’s $580 million megayacht has become a big headache for the Italian government. 470 feet long and the world’s largest sailing yacht, it requires special care and is costing the authorities $900,000 a month in upkeep alone.

You may also like

Fearing that authorities might seize his $175 million superyacht, this sanctioned billionaire has docked his 371-foot-long vessel in Puerto Rico, where the crew has been relaxing on it for over a year.

Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, the secretive duo behind the iconic luxury brand Chanel, have become Switzerland’s richest residents with a fortune of $44.7 billion

Still fancy a tan in Sicily? These 6.5′ feet plexiglass cubicles are an Italian company’s answer to a safe beach life during the Coronavirus pandemic

Like Amadea, the US authorities may be trying to seize and sail Igor Sechin’s $600 million megayacht Crescent to the United States from Spain. Belonging to Russia’s second most powerful man the 444 feet long vessel is one of the largest superyachts in the world.

How Phoebe Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates’ glamourous daughter, got slammed yet stood up to trolls. Always clad in luxury brands she grew up in a $127 million house but remains a social justice warrior like her dad.

Jeff Bezos’ Koru sailing yacht has finally arrived in the US, and it’s so enormous that it did not fit next to other superyachts at the Port of Everglades. The $500 million vessel was finally docked next to gigantic oil tankers at the South Florida seaport.

Billionaire Dan Snyder’s $192 million superyacht traveled a whopping 8,357 miles in the past 12 months. The former Washington Commander’s owner possibly undertook 22 voyages on his 305 feet long vessel to explore the Mediterranean and avoid a congressional subpoena

Venus superyacht designed for Steve Jobs is spotted in the U.S.

The billionaire tech whiz who helped create Microsoft Word and Excel has taken delivery of a stunning $250 million superyacht – Made by Lurssen, the 295-feet long vessel looks like a warship. It has an open air cinema and a swimming pool that converts into a dance floor.

• Pontoon Boats
• Personal Watercraft
• nauticalknowhow
• Nautical Knots
• Tools and Calculators

Sailing Yacht A: Everything You Want To Know

The sailing yacht known as A was built between 2015 and 2016 by German yacht makers Nobiskrug based on designs by French architect Phillippe Starck that seemed to have made use of some naval architecture for inspiration. It currently holds the record for being the world’s largest sailing yacht, though, to be fair, it is technically a sail-assisted motor yacht as it is fully capable of moving under its own power rather than relying on the sails. 

Who Owns Sailing Yacht A?

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, a man who made his fortune thanks to a coal company and a chemical company, is the owner of Sailing Yacht A as well as its older sister yacht the Motor Yacht A. Melnichenko has French designer Philippe Starck design both of the vessels for him. 

How Big is Sailing Yacht A?

As mentioned, this is actually the largest sailing yacht in the world and it truly is immense. It earned the title of largest sailing yet specifically because of the length which clocks in at a stunning 468.5 feet. Not only is it the longest sailing yacht as a result of that, making it over 50 feet longer than its closest competitor, it qualifies as one of the largest yachts period, sailing or motor powered. It’s the 11th largest yacht in the world if you also include motor yachts.

Even aside from length, the stats are pretty remarkable. The masts, which are very hard to miss, are also gigantic. The main mast stands at over 100 meters or 300 feet tall. The entire boat has a listed height of 328 feet. That makes the A taller than the Tower of London or Big Ben. 

The vessel is just over 81 feet wide and has a gross tonnage of 12,558 gt. The sails measure an incredible 3,747 square meters or 40,332 square feet. The sails can be controlled with an in-boom furling system. It also features a gimballed crow’s nest, accessible by an elevator, 60m high in one of the curved, carbon masts.

So It’s the Largest Sail Assisted Motor Yacht?

Technically, yes. There is not really a distinction made for more people between sail-assisted and sailing yacht.

Why Is it Called Sailing Yacht A?

Sailing Yacht A’s owner was being a little crafty when he came up with the name for the vessel. Like his earlier motor yacht, which is also called A or Motor Yacht A, Sailing Yacht A got the name it has so that it will always appear at the top of boat registry lists. It’s kind of like when businesses used to call themselves something like AAAA+ Plumbing so they’d be at the top of the page in the phone book, back when people still used phone books. 

What is the Interior of Sailing Yacht A Like?

As you can imagine, there’s a lot going on in this massive yacht. To start, it’s a full eight decks. These can be accessed throughout the yacht with either a number of elevators or the free-floating spiral staircases. It’s rumored that there are cabins for at least 20 guests, plus a master suite on board.

There are oval windows throughout the vessel that are almost impossible to see from outside as they’re covered in a one-way film that allows passengers to look out but prevents anyone from looking in. Some of the rooms have floor to ceiling windows that simply can’t be seen from outside. It’s rumored that the master suite has a rotating bed and is presumably of a significant size as the master suite in the smaller Motor Yacht A was 2,500 square feet.

In terms of luxury amenities there’s plenty to choose from. The yacht has an underwater observation pod right in the keel with windows to the sides and below. The glass is one foot thick to ensure it can handle the pressure. It offers a view of the props in action which is unique and unlike observation windows you’d likely find on any other boats. And unlike many yachts which have launch vessels or jet skis in the garage, this one has a three-man submarine you can take out for fun as well as four tenders.

Melnichenko is known for throwing lavish parties – he’s had Lennie Kravitz and Snoop Dogg perform on board Motor Yacht A for him and his guests, and even had Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera perform at his wedding some years ago, so it’s safe to assume the sailing yacht also features an extravagant party room as well. 

A crew of up to 54 operate the vessel and much of that can be done easier than you’d think. Touch screen controls can power and maneuver the vessel at the touch of a button. Even the sails can be raised and lowered with electronic controls and a single person operating them. 

In addition to the piloting of the ship, the crew run the yacht’s internal power plant, a professional galley the size of a kitchen you’d expect to find in a hotel, and other guest services like laundry and so on. These services and features are maintained across two of the boat’s 8 decks.

Much like any other yacht of this size, there is a helipad on the deck, and you can also find a large pool in the center of the deck as well. There are two other pools and all three are said to have current-generating technology to give them a more realistic ocean feel. As in his previous yacht, one of the pools has a glass floor so that you can see up into the pool from the deck below.

Many of the internal features have been kept under wraps as few people have had a chance to go on board the yacht. One particularly odd feature that has been noticed, however, is a chair on deck shaped like a giant, human head. Other glimpses of the interior have also shown off things like a large hot tub which has storage underneath it for a number of lifeboats, and the stunning blue navigation lights that line the exterior from bow to stern, just along the waterline.

The security features on the boat have not been disclosed, for obvious reasons, but Melnichenko previous yacht was rumored to feature everything from bomb proof glass to fingerprint scanners for enhanced security at key entry points. 

Was Sailing Yacht A Seized?

In March, 2022, Sailing Yacht A was seized by Italian authorities in the Port of Trieste after Andrey Melnichenko was placed on an EU sanctions list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many Russian billionaires who have had ties to President Vladimir Putin had sanctions levied against them which resulted in assets being frozen or confiscated all over the world.  

For unknown reasons, A was placed back in the water in June 2022 after being in dry dock for a few months. It was officially listed as being at anchor at that time with no further details about why the change in status. Melnichenko had stated at the time that he was going to contest the seizure of the luxury yacht but it’s unknown when or if that happened. 

What Did Sailing Yacht A Cost?

Billionaires don’t always like to share their expenses with the world and  Andrey Melnichenko is no different. He has not disclosed what he paid for the mega yacht and the yacht makers built it with a very thorough non-disclosure agreement in place that prevents them from sharing any of the particulars. 

The fact that there has been no officially confirmed price tag doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some solid speculation about the price which has yet to be refuted. According to most sources, the yacht likely cost its owner somewhere in the neighborhood of €530 million which, at the time, probably worked out to around $578 million to $600 million US.

How Fast is Sailing Yacht A?

The props on the yacht are powered by twin MTU 20V 4000 ML73 main diesel engines or by electric motors or even by both together. It runs up to 2,050rpm, giving 2,800kW, and makes use of four generators instead of five to cut down on the overall weight.  The generators are able to run down to 1,050rpm when it’s appropriate. Something called Superimposed System Controller (SSC) is able to constantly recalculate the optimal speed and determine the best combination of generators to use from moment to moment. This ensures optimal fuel and power usage while also limiting noise and vibration. 

The result of all of this engineering is that the yacht has a cruising speed of 16 knots and a top speed of 21 knots. 

The Bottom Line

Sailing Yacht A is the largest sail-assisted yacht in the world and, although the price is just speculated to be around $600 million, it’s clearly one of the most expensive yachts in the world as well. The exterior design is sleek and subtle and is able to hide many features including shell doors and windows while the interior spans 8 decks and has room for 54 crew and up to 20 passengers on board. The boat was seized by Italian authorities in 2022 and it’s unknown if or when the owner will get it back. 

My grandfather first took me fishing when I was too young to actually hold up a rod on my own. As an avid camper, hiker, and nature enthusiast I'm always looking for a new adventure.

Categories : Yachts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

More in Yachts

Lonian Yacht: An Insider's Guide

A Closer Look at the Madsummer Yacht

Your Insider’s Look at Steve Jobs’ Yacht Venus

Your Insider’s Guide to the Aviva Yacht

The People’s Poncho Review and Ratings 

Oru Lake Kayak Review

What Is A Gunwale?

131 of the Best Hawaiian Boat Names

167 Patriotic Boat Names

About boatsafe.

Established in 1998, BoatSafe is your independent guide into the world of boating, fishing, and watersports. We provide expert insights and detailed guides to help you find products tailored to your needs and budget.

Contact Boatsafe

• Address: 4021 West Walnut Street. Rogers, AR 72756
• Phone:  (479)339-4795
• Email: [email protected]

Site Navigation

• How We Test
• Corrections Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Editorial Policy
• Affiliate Disclosure

Our Reviews

All content is © Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

Advertisement

Supported by

A 459-Foot Mystery in a Tuscan Port: Is It a Russian’s Superyacht?

As European authorities go after the luxury assets of oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin, a superyacht cloaked in secrecy has come under investigation.

• Share full article

By Michael Forsythe ,  Gaia Pianigiani and David D. Kirkpatrick

From Germany’s North Sea ports to the French Riviera, open season has been declared on superyachts. Across Europe, authorities are hunting down luxury vessels tied to Russian oligarchs in the effort to inflict pain on President Vladimir V. Putin’s allies.

In Marina di Carrara, a small Italian town on the Tuscan coast, one of the world’s biggest, newest and most expensive superyachts — called the Scheherazade — is under scrutiny by the Italian police. Almost as long as a U.S. guided-missile destroyer, it dominates the waterfront.

The yacht, estimated by the website SuperYachtFan to cost about $700 million, has two helicopter decks and is studded with satellite domes. Inside, photos supplied by a former crew member show, is a swimming pool with a retractable cover that converts to a dance floor. Then there’s the fully equipped gym and the gold-plated fixtures in the bathrooms.

In the rarefied world of the biggest superyachts ( only 14 that are at least 140 meters, or 459 feet long), the Scheherazade is alone in that no likely owner has been publicly identified. That has spurred speculation that it could be a Middle Eastern billionaire or a superconnected Russian — even Mr. Putin.

The ship’s captain, Guy Bennett-Pearce, a British national, denied that Mr. Putin owned or had ever been on the yacht. “I have never seen him. I have never met him,” he said. He added, in a phone interview from the yacht, that its owner was not on any sanctions list. He did not rule out that the person could be Russian, but declined to say more about the owner’s identity, citing a “watertight nondisclosure agreement.”

Captain Bennett-Pearce said that Italian investigators had come aboard on Friday and examined some of the ship’s certification documents. “They are looking hard. They are looking at every aspect,” he said. “This isn’t the local coppers coming down, these are men in dark suits.” A person familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it, confirmed that the Italian financial police had opened an inquiry.

On Monday night, Captain Bennett-Pearce said he had “no choice” but to hand over documents revealing the owner’s identity to the Italian authorities. He said he would do so on Tuesday and had been told they would be handled with “confidentiality.”

“I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that this will clear the vessel of all negative rumors and speculations,” he wrote in a message to a New York Times reporter.

The mystery about the ship’s owner arose because — even for the hyper-confidential world of superyachting — there is an unusual degree of secrecy surrounding this vessel. Not only do contractors and crew members sign nondisclosure agreements, as on many superyachts, but the ship also has a cover to hide its name plate. And when it first arrived at the port, workers erected a tall metallic barrier on the pier to partly obscure the yacht from onlookers. Some locals remarked that they had never seen anything like it for other boats.

In his State of the Union address last week, President Biden announced a Justice Department task force to go after oligarchs close to Mr. Putin and facing sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sanctions have been imposed against hundreds of people, and the list keeps growing.

Last week, French authorities seized the yacht Amore Vero near Marseille as it was preparing to depart, claiming it was owned by a man on that list: Igor Sechin, the head of the Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. In Italy, police in Sanremo impounded Lena, a yacht belonging to Gennady Timchenko, a Putin friend who controls an oil exporting company. In nearby Imperia, police also impounded the Lady M, a yacht belonging to Alexei Mordashov, Russia’s richest man. The fate of the Dilbar, one of the world’s biggest yachts that the United States says belongs to the oligarch Alisher Usmanov, is unclear. It is in Hamburg, and German officials said the vessel could not leave without an export waiver, Bloomberg News reported .

Some of the biggest superyachts are owned by Russians who are not on the sanctions list. The world’s second-largest, Eclipse, which has a missile defense system and a mini submarine, is owned by Roman Abramovich, the billionaire who is selling his ownership stake in the British soccer club Chelsea. Andrey Melnichenko, a billionaire coal baron, owns Sailing Yacht A.

Determining the ownership of assets that the wealthy want to keep hidden is difficult, especially without a warrant, because they are often zealously guarded by private bankers and lawyers and tucked away in opaque shell companies in offshore secrecy havens. The Scheherazade is flagged in the Cayman Islands and its owner, Bielor Assets Ltd. , is registered in the Marshall Islands. The yacht’s management company, which Captain Bennett-Pearce says is also registered in the Cayman Islands, works from the ship and uses his rental villa in nearby Lucca as its address.

One trade website, which bills itself as “the global authority in superyachting,” claims that the vessel’s owner is “known to be a Middle Eastern billionaire.” The Scheherazade shares a name with the female storyteller in “The Arabian Nights,” and it made one brief foray into the Red Sea in September 2020, calling at the Egyptian port of Hurghada. But mostly it stays in Marina di Carrara, where it has been moored since last September.

Locals have their own theory about the ship’s ownership. Some have heard people onboard speaking Russian. And Scheherazade is also the title of a symphonic work by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

“Everybody calls it Putin’s yacht, but nobody knows whose it is,” said Ernesto Rossi, a retired clerk who was taking a walk along the marina’s promenade on Friday. “It’s a rumor that’s been going around for months.”

In Italy, the phrase “Putin’s yacht” has become shorthand for a mysterious and ultra-luxurious ship. It’s also a joke among the dozens of crew members, Captain Bennett-Pearce said. “I’ve heard the same rumors.”

Another, smaller vessel, the Graceful, has long been tied to the Russian president and is known as “Putin’s yacht.” It was tracked leaving Germany for the Russian port of Kaliningrad just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine. (U.S. government officials point out that Mr. Putin owns little outright; many of the luxurious homes or ships he uses are owned by oligarchs.)

Mr. Putin appears to have a penchant for big pleasure boats. During his time as Russia’s leader, he’s been photographed on yachts from Russia’s northern reaches to the Black Sea in the south. Last May, he and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, took a cruise on a yacht at the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

The Scheherazade’s builder, Lurssen Group, whose website promises customers “complete confidentiality,” declined to comment about its ownership. Until June 2020, when the completed ship left the pier in Bremen, Germany, it had the code name “Lightning.” The same company built the even bigger superyacht the Dilbar. A similar gigantic yacht, code-named “Luminance,” is now being built at Lurssen, scheduled to be completed next year.

“Of course, all orders and projects of the Lurssen Group and its subsidiaries are treated in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations,” said Oliver Grun, a company spokesman.

About 70 percent of the Scheherazade’s crew is Russian, Captain Bennett-Pearce said. And during each of the past two summers, it has sailed to Sochi, the last time in early July 2021, according to MarineTraffic, a top maritime analytics provider. The ship’s construction was managed by Imperial Yachts, a company in Monaco that, Reuters reported , manages the Amore Vero, Mr. Sechin’s seized yacht. Nick Flashman, who oversees construction of large vessels at Imperial Yachts, declined to comment.

One former crew member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the nondisclosure agreement, said that shipmates called it “Putin’s yacht.” The person said the ship was manned by an international crew during “boss off” times; when it was “boss on,” the crew was replaced by an all-Russian staff. In the weeks before the Scheherazade’s 2020 trip to the Black Sea, the foreign crew was dismissed, the person said.

The former crew member supplied photos of rosters of both international and Russian crew members. The Times reached out, via social media, phone or email, to at least 17 of them. Few responded.

One of the Russians said only that he had worked on the Scheherazade, citing a nondisclosure agreement. Another person said it would be dangerous to talk. One man denied serving on the vessel; another said he hadn’t worked at sea in 25 years.

Captain Bennett-Pearce said “categorically there is not a European crew that comes on and a Russian crew that comes on.” Many of the ship’s senior officers are from Britain, New Zealand and Spain. Many international crew members were dismissed in 2020, replaced by Russians who didn’t demand the high salaries and benefits that their predecessors had, the captain said. “It came down to economics,” he said.

Given the antipathy that people outside of Russia have toward Mr. Putin, if the Russian president really were the owner or principal user of the yacht, keeping non-Russian senior crew members like him on staff would make no sense, Captain Bennett-Pearce said.

“If there’s a European crew onboard it’s the biggest smoke and mirror and the biggest risk I’ve ever heard of,” he said.

Reporting was contributed by Dmitriy Khavin , Christoph Koettl , Julian E. Barnes , Jason Horowitz , Rebecca R. Ruiz and Eric Schmitt .

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article referred imprecisely to the new task force announced by President Biden in his State of the Union address. He announced a Justice Department task force to pursue and seize the assets of oligarchs associated with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, not a joint task force with partners in Europe, which was previously announced.

How we handle corrections

Michael Forsythe is a reporter on the investigations team. He was previously a correspondent in Hong Kong, covering the intersection of money and politics in China. He has also worked at Bloomberg News and is a United States Navy veteran. More about Michael Forsythe

Gaia Pianigiani is a reporter based in Italy for The New York Times.  More about Gaia Pianigiani

David D. Kirkpatrick is an investigative reporter based in New York and the author of “Into the Hands of the Soldiers: Freedom and Chaos in Egypt and the Middle East.“ In 2020 he shared a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on covert Russian interference in other governments and as the Cairo bureau chief from 2011 to 2015 he led coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings. More about David D. Kirkpatrick

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, met in Beijing . The visit came days after the United States threatened new sanctions against Chinese companies if they aided Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has condemned recent drone strikes at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant , saying “such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident.”

Russian rockets slammed into residential buildings in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said, killing at least seven people and injuring at least 11 more in the latest assault on Ukraine’s second-largest city .

Conditional Support: Ukraine wants a formal invitation to join NATO, but the alliance has no appetite for taking on a new member  that would draw it into the biggest land war in Europe since 1945.

‘Shell Hunger’: A desperate shortage of munitions in Ukraine  is warping tactics and the types of weapons employed, and what few munitions remain are often mismatched with battlefield needs.

Turning to Marketing: Ukraine’s troop-starved brigades have started their own recruitment campaigns  to fill ranks depleted in the war with Russia.

How We Verify Our Reporting

Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts .

Photos show the luxury mega yachts that belong to Russian oligarchs — some of whom have hidden their ships as the UK ramps up sanctions.

• Sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs threaten their luxury assets — including their mega yachts.
• Many countries have implemented sanctions targeting Putin and Russian oligarchs following Russia's attack on Ukraine.
• Insider compiled a photo list of some of the luxury vessels.

Russian billionaires' assets — including their megayachts — are in danger of being seized as countries continue to impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden announced that the US will make a substantial effort to seize Russian oligarchs' assets.

"We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets," Biden said in his State of The Union address on March 1. "We are coming for your ill-begotten gains."

Since the US is not in "armed conflict" with Russia it may be legally tricky to seize assets like yachts, Insider reported . 

"The threshold for seizing assets under sanctions is that the US has to be in armed conflict with the owner of the assets," Brian O'Toole, an economic sanctions expert, tweeted last Friday. "The idea of turning Russian corruption into Ukrainian assistance is lovely but this idea is illegal, period."

It can also be difficult to find out who the owners of these yachts are.

Offshore companies typically own the luxury vessels, but enough "public speculation" pointing to a Russian oligarch as an owner is likely "sufficient for a seizure," Insider reported . 

Many of the oligarchs moved their yachts to places where they can't be seized, such as the Maldives, which does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

Insider has compiled a list of photos with mega yachts linked to Russian oligarchs.

Galactica Super Nova

Amid sanctions and seizures targeting Russian billionaires, Galactica Super Nova — said to be linked to the CEO of Russian oil firm Lukoil — is no longer detectable via ship tracker site MarineTraffic , The Daily Beast reported Thursday. 

The superyacht — whose owner is named Vagit Alekperov — had just been in Montenegro last week, Insider reported .

Alekperov is not currently the target of any sanctions. 

The yacht is almost 230 feet long and can hold up to 12 guests and 16 crew members, according to the ship maker Heesen Yachts .

The ship also has a helicopter pad that can turn into an outdoor movie theatre, also according to the ship maker.

The Amore Vero

France seized Amore Vero, a 281-foot megayacht linked to oligarch and politician Igor Sechin, on March 3.

The yacht, Amore Vero, is estimated to have a value of $120 million . It has a swimming pool that doubles as a helicopter pad and a private deck for its owner, according to Oceana , the ship maker.

Per The Wall Street Journal , officials believe that Amore Vero is "owned by a company whose majority shareholder was Mr. Sechin," though the outlet does not provide the name of the company.

Sechin is the CEO of Rosneft, Russia's oil giant, and a former deputy prime minister. A known Putin ally , he was sanctioned by both the EU and the US before France seized his yacht last week .

Sechin was one of seven oligarchs sanctioned by the UK on Thursday. 

People in Russia have referred to Sechin as "Darth Vader" and "the scariest man on Earth," according to The Guardian .

Alisher Usmanov has been sanctioned by the EU, the US, the UK, and Switzerland. His boat remains in Germany, but the country says it hasn't seized it.

Usmanov's Dilbar is "is the largest motor yacht in the world by gross tonnage," according to Lürssen , the German ship's maker.

It's 512-foot long and weighs 15,917 tons. The ship has been docked in Germany for months undergoing a "refitting," but last week Forbes reported that it was unable to leave the dock.

Germany, however, has denied that it formally seized Dilbar.

Forbes said that "the German federal customs agency is the 'responsible enforcement authority' and would have to issue an export waiver for the yacht to leave, and that 'no yacht leaves port that is not allowed to do so.'" 

Still, multiple outlets reported that Usmanov has fired the crew on the Dilbar.

The Uzbekistan-born oligarch is a supporter of Putin. 

"I am proud that I know Putin, and the fact that everybody does not like him is not Putin's problem," Usmanov told Forbes  in a 2010 interview. 

Suleyman Kerimov was sanctioned by the US, and his son, Said Kerimov, owns ICE. The superyacht is worth is an estimated $170 million.

The Kerimov family owns the majority of Polyus Gold, Russia's biggest gold producer .

ICE was dubbed "Superyacht of the Year" in 2006 at the World Super Yacht Awards, according to Boat International . It is approximately 300 feet and has its own resident helicopter, according to Club Yacht .

Quantum Blue

Sergey Galitsky's ship, Quantum Blue, has an estimated value of $250 million and is last known to be docked in Monaco.

Galitsky is the founder of one of Russia's largest supermarket chains, Magnit.

His name is not currently on the list of sanctioned Russian oligarchs,

Though he also is not the target of any current sanctions, Vladimir Potanin's superyacht, Nirvana, is one of at least four ships docked in the Maldives .

Potanin is the Former First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and was a longtime trustee for the Guggenheim museum before stepping down on March 2, according to The New York Times . 

Nirvana is not Potanin's only superyacht, he also owns another named Barbara, according to Fortune .

Alexander Abramov's Titan, Alexei Mordashovis' Nord, and Oleg Deripaska's Clio are also located in the Maldives.

At 533 feet long, Roman Abramovich's Eclipse was the largest yacht on the globe until 2013 when the 590-foot Azzam overthrew it. 

Abramovich, once Russia's richest man , is the departing owner of Chelsea FC soccer club. He was sanctioned by the UK on Thursday along with six other oligarchs, Insider reported .

The luxury boat has a host of amenities, including two helicopter pads, a missile detection system, and a swimming pool more than 50 feet long. It also has space for up to 36 guests and 70 crew members, according to Yacht Harbour .

Insider previously reported that it is currently docked in the Caribbean .

Another yacht named Solaris is linked to Abramovich. The vessel, worth approximately $600 million, left Spain Tuesday after having been under repair since late 2021, Insider reported.

Solaris is 460 feet and can host a total of 36 guests, according to SuperYachtFan .

Tango, owned by the US-sanctioned Viktor Vekselberg, is currently located in Palma, Spain.

Tango can host up to 14 people and is 254 feet long, won the 2012 World Superyacht Awards, and has an estimated worth of $120 million, according to SuperYachtFan .

Vekselberg is a Ukrainian-born businessman who owns Renova, a Russian conglomerate, according to The Guardian .

He was one of nearly two dozen Russian oligarchs and officials that the US sanctioned on Friday.

The US Treasury Department claims that he has close ties with Putin, and has announced that assets such as his $90 million jet and his superyacht Tango have been frozen, Insider reported .

Graceful, a yacht reported to belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin, left Germany just before his invasion of Ukraine, Insider reported in early February.

—Manu Gómez (@GDarkconrad) February 9, 2022

Graceful is 270 feet long and has a saloon, gym, spa, library, and an indoor pool nearly 50 feet long that doubles as a dance floor.

Scheherazade

A mystery yacht remains untouched as the owner remains a mystery.

The owner of the 459-foot Scheherazade is suspected to be a Russian billionaire, though the owner was never publically identified, The New York Times reported .

Many people believe it belongs to Vladimir Putin, nicknaming the vessel "Putin's Yacht."

SuperYachtFan estimates the ship's value sits at $700 million.

Stella Maris

Stella Maris is linked to oil and gas tycoon Rashid Sardarov. It was last seen in Nice, France, according to The Washington Post .

The luxury vessel is priced at $75 million, is 237 feet long, and can hold up to 14 guests, per SuperYachtFan .

Sardarov is not being sanctioned. 

Sailing Yacht A

Sailing Yacht A is believed to belong to Andrey Melnichenko. The boat was seized by Spanish officials Saturday, Reuters reported .

The ship is more than 465 feet long and can hold up to 20 guests, according to SuperYachtFan . The website says that Sailing Yacht A also features an underwater observation area and has a value of more than $500 million.

Melnichenko is an EU-sanctioned Russian billionaire who works in coal and fertilizers, according to Forbes . The magazine also reported that he owns a second yacht, Motor Yacht A, which is similar to a submarine. 

Oligarch Gennady Timchenko's superyacht "Lena" was seized in the port of Sanremo, Italy on March 5, Reuters reported.

Timchenko is the owner of a private investment group, Volga Group and a shareholder of Bank Rossiya. The oligarch has been sanctioned by the EU, which describes him as a "long-time acquaintance of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin."

Timchenko was also sanctioned by the UK on February 22. 

The superyacht is valued at around 50 million euros ($54 million), Reuters reported. It has fold-down terraces, as well as an "owner's suite" which opens out onto the sea with "gull-wing doors," according to its manufacturer, Sanlorenzo.

Italian authorities also seized a $71 million super-yacht belonging to one of the wealthiest men in Russia , Alexei Mordashov. 

The 215-ft "Lady M" superyacht was seized in the Port of Imperia, northern Italy, a source confirmed to Reuters.

The yacht can accommodate up to six guests on and also has accommodation for four crew members, per the Superyacht Times .

The oligarch, who is the chairman of steel mining company, Severstal, has also been sanctioned by the EU, which says Mordashov is "benefiting from his links with Russian decision-makers." Mordashov has insisted he has "absolutely nothing to do" with Russia's attack on Ukraine. 

The Oligarch moved $1.3 billion worth of shares in travel company, TUI, to an offshore tax haven on the day he was hit by sanctions, Insider's Huileng Tan previously reported. 

He was also added to the UK government's sanctions list on March 15.

Some superyachts belonging to Russian billionaires are currently seeking refuge in the Maldives, including a yacht owned by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, Reuters reported.

The billionaire, who is also the founder of one of Russia's largest industrial groups, Basic Element, was added to the UK's sanctions list on March 10.

Also built by Lürssen, the superyacht - which is around 238 feet long - can accommodate 18 guests in nine cabins, per Superyacht Fan.

The superyacht Valerie - worth $140 million - was seized in Barcelona on Monday, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said on La Sexta television, per Reuters.  

Sanchez did not confirm the owner of the yacht, but two sources confirmed to Reuters that it belonged to Sergei Chemezov, who is said to be a close ally of Putin.

The oligarch, who was previously a KGB spy with Putin in the former Soviet Union, recently said that Russia would emerge victorious from Western sanctions, Reuters previously reported . 

Chemezov, who is the CEO of Russian defense conglomerate Rostec was added to the US sanctions list on March 3. 

His yacht is 279 feet long and can accommodate 17 guests in eight suites, per Superyacht Fan.

Crescent, most likely owned by Igor Sechin but also rumored to belong to Putin, was the third yacht Spain seized as the West ramps up sanctions, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The superyacht is 443-feet long and costs an estimated $600 million, according to  SuperyachtFan, which also says the vessel hosts a retractable helicopter hangar and a large pool with a glass bottom.

Lady Anastasia

Lady Anastasia is owned by Russian oligarch Alexander Mikheyev but was seized by Spain on Tuesday, according to Reuters . 

The boat is almost 160 feet long and can hold up to 10 guests, according to Yacht Harbour .

Mikheyev, who was sanctioned by the EU, is the head of a helicopters division under Rostec, New York Mag reported .

• Main content

The Stunning Ritz Carlton EVRIMA Yacht

Gliding Across Tokyo’s Sumida River: The Mesmerizing Zipper Boat

CROCUS Yacht: An 48 Meter Beauty by Admiral

PHI Yacht – Royal Huisman’s $45 Million Superyacht

• Zuretti Interior Design
• Zuretti Interior
• Zuccon International Project
• Ziyad al Manaseer
• Zaniz Interiors. Kutayba Alghanim
• Yuriy Kosiuk
• Yuri Milner
• Yersin Yacht

• Superyachts

MOTOR YACHT A – Cutting-edge $300M Superyacht

MOTOR YACHT A is one of the largest privately-owned megayachts in existence, measuring 119 meters (390 ft) in length.

It is currently ranked the 27th biggest yacht in the world and sails under the flag of Bermuda.

A was built by the famous shipyard Blohm & Voss in Kiel, Germany and after four years of construction, she was handed over to her new owner in 2008.

MOTOR YACHT A interior

The interior of the 119 meters (390 ft) long A offers plenty of natural light and elaborate wooden furniture, providing a luxurious and comfortable ambiance.

The interior design is by Philippe Starck, a renowned French architect, and designer who helped develop the private rooms of the Élysée Palace in Paris.

MOTOR YACHT A features a beautiful master suite and an additional six state-of-the-art guest cabins. A crew of 35 members is able to stay on board to take care of up to 14 guests.

Specifications

Two diesel engines power MOTOR YACHT A with an output of 9,000 kW each. A full tank of over 750,000 liters provides her with an impressive reach of up to 6,500 nautical miles.

Her cruising speed lies at 19 knots, but the vessel can reach maximum speeds of up to 23 knots.

A is equipped with the latest technology and control systems, which aid the crew in maneuvering the gigantic vessel. She has a width of 18.87 meters (61.90 ft) and weighs in at an impressive 5,500 tons.

Philippe Starck also created the exterior design of A in collaboration with naval architect Martin Francis and the shape of the yacht strongly resembles a US Navy destroyer.

A has a total of three swimming pools distributed on the different decks.

The pool on the front deck is the largest of all and is equipped with a jet nozzle that can simulate currents.

Furthermore, A features a spacious beach club as well as three tenders housed in their own garages.

She also has her own helicopter landing pad located on the forward main deck while three elevators make it easy for guests and crew to reach the different levels of the vessel.

Of course, A is equipped with a high-quality gym and a spacious spa area.

The price of MOTOR YACHT A is estimated at about US $300 million, which the owner, Russian billionaire Melnichenko paid for the vessel in 2008.

The annual costs amount to US $12 to $15 million depending on use.

Do you have anything to add to this listing?

• Andrey Menichenko
• Blohm + Voss
• Philippe Starck

Love Yachts? Join us.

Related posts.

PIACERE Yacht – Inside Rossinavi’s 49.95m Superyacht

NAUTILUS Yacht – Breathtaking $90 Million Superyacht

FOREVER ONE Yacht – Sleek $40M Superyacht

HORIZONS III Yacht – JParadise-like $80M Superyacht

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

A multimillion-dollar superyacht once owned by a Russian oligarch has gone to auction

Dustin Jones

The Axioma superyacht, seen in Gibraltar in March, once belonged to Russian oligarch Dmitrievich Pumpyansky. The vessel was seized last March in accordance with sanctions imposed by Britain and the European Union. It will be auctioned off Tuesday, with the proceeds going to JP Morgan Chase. JON NAZCA/REUTERS hide caption

The Axioma superyacht, seen in Gibraltar in March, once belonged to Russian oligarch Dmitrievich Pumpyansky. The vessel was seized last March in accordance with sanctions imposed by Britain and the European Union. It will be auctioned off Tuesday, with the proceeds going to JP Morgan Chase.

A superyacht once belonging to a Russian billionaire went to auction Tuesday in the British territory of Gibraltar. The vessel, estimated to have a value in the tens of millions of dollars, was seized in March as part of Western sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Gibraltar's Admiralty Marshal was tasked with appraising and selling the yacht, which received 63 bids, according to court documents. Its official appraised value is "a confidential matter which cannot be disclosed," although outside estimates reportedly place it anywhere from $42 million to $75 million. Details about who ultimately purchases the vessel and for what price will be made public when the transaction is complete.

Measuring 236 feet long and weighing over 1,600 tons, the Axioma is a sight to behold. It can accommodate 12 guests in six cabins — along with a 20-person crew in 12 other rooms — and features a gymnasium, full-service spa, infinity pool and luxury cinema, as stated on the Howe Robinson Partners auction site.

The cost to charter the Axioma for a week runs an average of roughly $500,000 , not including other operating costs, according to Yacht Charter Fleet.

The former owner of the ship is Dmitrievich Pumpyansky, once Russia's largest steel pipe manufacturer and currently worth $2 billion, according to Forbes . Unfortunately for Pumpyansky, he was sanctioned by Britain and the European Union after the invasion.

Other superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs have been detained as a result of the sanctions, but the Axioma is the first to be sold off, the Guardian reported.

Despite calls for the proceeds of the sale to benefit Ukraine, the funds will instead be paid to JP Morgan Chase. According to the Guardian, the international bank had a loan agreement with Pumpyansky's holding company, Pyrene Investments.

However, the sanctions against Russia prevented JP Morgan Chase from accepting payments from the holding company, breaching the agreement, and the bank filed a legal claim to have the vessel seized and sold at auction.

Other superyachts belonging to Russian elites have been detained all over the world — including the Amadea, which was seized in Fiji at the request of the United States in May. That $300 million yacht belonged to Suleiman Kerimov, a Russian gold producer worth over $12 billion, according to Forbes .

The fate of the Amadea is uncertain, however; it, too, could be sold to the highest bidder, which would be in line with President Biden's aims to hold Russian oligarchs accountable for their role in the invasion and, potentially, use the proceeds to aid Ukraine.

U.S. moves to claim $300M superyacht associated with ‘Russian Gatsby’

The Justice Department officially moved Monday to claim a 348-foot superyacht it says belongs to a sanctioned billionaire oligarch known as the " Russian Gatsby ."

In a civil forfeiture claim filed in federal court in New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams' office said that the $300 million vessel, the Amadea , is "beneficially owned" by Suleiman Kerimov and that the "superyacht was improved and maintained in violation of applicable sanctions against Kerimov and those acting on his behalf."

The filing contends the yacht, which has a helipad, an infinity pool, a Jacuzzi and multiple bars, should be forfeited to the U.S. government.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Kerimov , who's worth an estimated $14 billion and has ties to the Russian government, over alleged money laundering in 2018.

He has been referred to as a "Russian Gatsby" in part because he rarely does interviews while indulging in the high life. He has hosted multimillion-dollar parties at his villas on the French Riviera, including one in 2008 that reportedly featured a performance by Beyoncé, and his car collection includes a rare Ferrari Enzo, which he once crashed into a tree in 2006.

The yacht was seized in Fiji last year as part of the work of the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, which has been going after the assets of sanctioned oligarchs in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

The court filing said officials were able to prove Kerimov's ownership by showing that he was responsible for numerous upgrades to the vessel, including a new pizza oven.

However, another oligarch, Eduard Khudainatov, maintains that he's the owner of the Amadea and has filed legal challenges for its return. Khudainatov is the former chairman and CEO of Rosneft, the state-controlled gas company in Russia, and he has not been sanctioned by the U.S. government.

The Justice Department has said in court filings that Khudainatov is a "straw owner" and that he couldn't even afford the upkeep on the Amadea and another superyacht he says he owns.

Khudainatov's lawyer, Adam Ford, sued in federal court in California seeking the yacht's return late Sunday, before the federal action Monday. The filing says the government's estimate of his client's wealth is based in part on his failure to show up on Forbes' annual billionaires list, and it contends "a magazine's list should not be the basis of, or suffice as evidence for, any U.S. government enforcement action."

Ford said in a statement, "We are confident that a neutral arbiter will order the return of the Amadea to our client."

The U.S. has worked with numerous countries to seize a number of superyachts with ties to oligarchs, whose ownership interests are often hard to prove.

Task Force KleptoCapture co-director Michael Khoo said in a statement that the forfeiture proceeding against the Amadea came "after a careful and painstaking effort to develop the necessary evidence showing Suleiman Kerimov’s clear interest in the Amadea and the repeated misuse of the U.S. financial system to support and maintain the yacht for his benefit."

“Getting to this point required extensive cooperation across the U.S. government and with foreign partners. It underscores our resolve to undertake challenging, cross-border investigations and to send a message to Russian oligarchs and their enablers: if you flout the rule of law, you can expect to pay real and meaningful consequences,” Khoo said.

Michael Kosnar is a Justice Department producer for the NBC News Washington Bureau.

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Sea Drone Found in Black Sea is American Boat with Massive Soviet Warhead

A mysterious maritime drone (usv) has been discovered in the black sea. the capsized vessel marries a u.s. built hull with a soviet-era russian warhead. at around 500 kg (1,100 lb), the warhead is more than twice the size of that on a harpoon or neptune missile..

H I Sutton 08 Apr 2024

An unusual maritime drone was discovered floating upside down in Romanian waters on April 3 2024. The new type of uncrewed surface vessel (USV) was actually based on an American built rescue boat, modified as a drone. It was equipped with a large warhead indicating that it was designed to hit ships or other naval targets.

Romanian forces reportedly destroyed the boat in a controlled explosion on April 5 . The events were not publicized initially and few details were revealed when it was later shared in local media. However an analysis of the vessel answers the questions of what it is, yet raises new questions.

The USV uses an AM-800 aluminum-hull rigid inflatable boat (RIB). This is produced by Silver Ships in Alabama, United States. The boat is designed for fire rescue and the original red finish is still visible on the lower hull and inflatable collar.

The AM-800 is around 9.5 meters (31 feet) long including the outboard motors. While still small, this makes it nearly twice the length of the Magura and Sea Baby USVs Ukraine is using. The RIB is likely to be seen from further away. Its powerful warhead may make up for this.

Powerful warhead from Styx missile

The warhead is from a P-20 Styx anti-ship missile. This is a Soviet-era weapon and, while still in service in Russia, is generally viewed as obsolete. It has a noticeably powerful warhead though, it’s main merit. Both Russia and Ukraine likely have easy access to this type of warhead.

The warhead is mounted on a crude wooden frame in the forward deck of the boat. It is a ‘4G20′ model which is associated with P-20 export model variants of the Styx missile. It weighs just under 500kg (1,100lb) of TGAG-5 explosives which is 60% TNT, 20% RDX, 15% aluminum powder and 5% phlegmatizing wax. For context, this is over twice the size of the Harpoon anti-ship missiles’ warhead.

Interestingly, the Houthi Movement has also used this type of warhead on some of its explosive USVs. The Houthi’s had access to these warheads from legacy Yemeni Navy stocks so there is no suggestion of a direct link to this new vessel.

The warhead has a shaped charge at the front to punch a large hole in the ship before the main charge detonates, thus causing more damage. This is described as a high-explosive-cumulative charge. In the missile the shaped charge is facing slightly downwards to cause maximum damage. On the USV however it is desirable to direct the shaped charge directly forward, so the whole warhead has been mounted at an angle. While the stand-off detonation from the USV is less desirable than the penetrating hit of the missile, the size of the warhead makes this USV formidable.

Attribution: Whose is it?

The nationality of the vessel was not shared officially, although some local media suggested that it is Ukrainian. The nature of the vessel, and being based on an American hull, does support this conclusion. The manufacturer, Silver Ships, had previously been reportedly supplying unspecified craft to Ukraine as part of U.S. Aid. So it seems most straightforward that it is Ukrainian. It possibly capsized further north and drifted to where it was found.

However the possibility that it could be Russian should be seriously considered. Russia has tried to disrupt or prevent merchant ships sailing to Ukraine since the end of the Black Sea Grain Initiative last July. Efforts have focused on attacking Ukrainian port infrastructure, but air-dropped mines have also been used. This is likely because mines are more deniable than using warships or missiles.

However the mines have been unsuccessful so far, with some Ukrainian sources suggesting that the Russians are now unable to sow them . Therefore Russia may be tempted to use USVs to hit ships, thus reestablishing a de facto blockade. Although it may be clear which country is doing it, the USVs would still be deniable. It is likely that Russian propaganda would blame Ukraine to create enough ambiguity to avoid immediate consequences.

Whether this USV was Ukrainian (which seems most likely) or Russian may be revealed in due course. But the likelihood of both sides operating USVs in the Black Sea is increasing so a Russian craft is bound to turn up sooner or later.

Related Articles

Ukraine strikes four Russian ships with missile attacks in Sevastopol

Vital Russian Supply Lines In Black Sea Cut By Ukrainian Drones

Analysis: An Operational View on the USV Attacks in the Black Sea from an Admiral’s Eyes

Russian Missile Ship on Fire in 'NATO Lake': Report

R ussia's Serpukhov small missile ship was significantly damaged by a fire on Sunday in the Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad, according to an anonymous Ukrainian security source cited by RBC Ukraine on Monday.

A Kyiv Post report attributed the incident to a Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) operation, citing an unnamed security services source. "Repairs will take a long time," the source said.

The HUR later claimed responsibility for the fire, posting a video to its Telegram channel purporting to show the setting of a fire inside the Serpukhov and claiming that the vessel had been "disabled." The post added: "Due to the fire inside the rocket ship, its means of communication and automation were completely destroyed."

Newsweek has not been able to corroborate the report independently and has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries by email to request comment.

The Buyan-M class corvette incorporates stealth technology and has a vertical launching system for either Kalibr or Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, both munitions that have been used in Moscow's nationwide bombardment of Ukraine. The Buyan-M class is designed to operate in relatively shallow coastal regions or inland waterways.

The Serpukhov launched Kalibr missile strikes against Islamist militants in Syria from the Mediterranean Sea in 2016, before being deployed to the Baltic Sea area later that year.

In September 2023 the Russian state media reported that the Serpukhov performed a successful launch of a cruise Kalibr missile in the White Sea, successfully hitting a "coastal target."

The Baltic Sea is emerging as a key area of Russian-NATO competition in a new era of tension between the traditional rivals. The Kaliningrad exclave is a key Russian outpost in the Baltic Sea, and hosts significant conventional military strength as well as electronic warfare equipment and possibly nuclear weapons.

Kaliningrad is expected to be an important staging point for any future hypothetical Russian aggression against NATO nations in northeastern and northern Europe, particularly against the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

In such an event, Russian and Belarusian forces are expected to try to seize the Suwalki Gap , a 60-mile corridor stretched along the Lithuanian-Polish frontier between Belarus and Kaliningrad. This would cut off land access between the three Baltic states and the rest of NATO.

The Western alliance appears to have the strategic edge in the Baltic Sea, thanks to the addition of Sweden and Finland to the alliance. Both joined following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Allied officials have previously told Newsweek that the body of water can now be considered a " NATO Lake ."

In March, Russian and Ukrainian media reported that a fishing vessel, Kapitan Lobanov , sank near the city of Pionersky in the same area of the Baltic Sea.

Update 4/8/24, 10:45 a.m. EDT: This article was updated with more information and context.

Related Articles

• Germany's 'Luftwaffe' Deployed To Intercept Russian Plane Over Baltic Sea
• Planes Hit by Mystery GPS Jamming Across Europe
• Russia Accidentally Sank Own Ship During Baltic Navy Drills
• Plan to Cut Key Army Benefits Sparks Backlash

Start your unlimited Newsweek trial

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• March Madness
• AP Top 25 Poll
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Ukrainian navy says a third of Russian warships in the Black Sea have been destroyed or disabled

FILE - A sea drone cruises on the water during a presentation by Ukraine’s Security Service in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)

An engineer assembles an antenna for guiding an exploding drone in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Saturday, February 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A worker stores mortar shells at a factory in Ukraine, on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

FILE - Local fishermen try to catch fish in front of Russia Navy ships in Sevastopol, Crimea, Oct. 27, 2014. Successful Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have provided a major morale boost for Kyiv at a time when its undermanned and under-gunned forces are facing Russian attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer front line. Challenging Russia’s naval superiority also has helped create more favorable conditions for Ukrainian grain exports and other shipments from the country’s Black Sea ports. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Feb. 10, 2022, the Russian navy’s amphibious assault ship Kaliningrad sails into the Sevastopol harbor in Crimea. Successful Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have provided a major morale boost for Kyiv at a time when its undermanned and under-gunned forces are facing Russian attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer front line. Challenging Russia’s naval superiority also has helped create more favorable conditions for Ukrainian grain exports and other shipments from the country’s Black Sea ports. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

FILE - This image taken from video shows smoke rising from the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea. Sept. 22, 2023. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has suffered heavy damage from Ukrainian drone and missile attacks. (Crimean Telegram channel via AP, File)

• Copy Link copied

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has sunk or disabled a third of all Russian warships in the Black Sea in just over two years of war, the navy spokesman said Tuesday, a heavy blow to Moscow’s military capability.

Ukraine’s Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk told The Associated Press that the latest strike on Saturday night hit the Russian amphibious landing ship Kostiantyn Olshansky that was resting in dock in Sevastopol in Russia-occupied Crimea. The ship was part of the Ukrainian navy before Russia captured it while annexing the Black Sea peninsula in 2014.

Pletenchuk has previously announced that two other landing ships of the same type, Azov and Yamal, also were damaged in Saturday’s strike along with the Ivan Khurs intelligence ship.

He told the AP that the weekend attack, which was launched with Ukraine-built Neptune missiles, also hit Sevastopol port facilities and an oil depot.

Russian authorities reported a massive Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol over the weekend but didn’t acknowledge any damage to the fleet.

Pletenchuk said that with the latest attack, a third of all warships that Russian had in the Black Sea before the war have been destroyed or disabled. At the same time, he acknowledged that just two of about a dozen of Russian missile carrying warships have been sunk and pledged that Ukraine will continue the strikes.

“Our ultimate goal is complete absence of military ships of the so-called Russian Federation in the Azov and Black Sea regions,” Pletenchuk told the AP.

Successful Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have provided a major morale boost for Kyiv at a time when its undermanned and under-gunned forces are facing Russian attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Challenging Russia’s naval superiority also has helped create more favorable conditions for Ukrainian grain exports and other shipments from the country’s Black Sea ports.

Moscow officials have kept mum on most of Ukrainian claims, but previous navy losses have been confirmed by Russian military bloggers and media who have harshly criticized the military brass for its slow and sloppy response to the threat.

Earlier this month, Russian media reported that the navy chief, Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov, had been fired and replaced with Adm. Alexander Moiseyev, the commander of Russia’s Northern Fleet. The Kremlin hasn’t yet announced the reshuffle, but last week Moiseyev was presented as the new acting navy chief during a ceremony at a Russian naval base.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

• Election Results
• The Political Beat
• Latest Links
• Continuing Coverage
• Talking About Race
• Power Grid Security
• Black History in the Carolinas
• Streaming/Mobile Apps
• Newsletter Sign-up (Opens in new window)
• Severe Weather Resources
• Interactive Radar
• 7-Day Forecast
• Tracking the Tropics
• Hour by Hour
• Video Forecast
• School Closings
• Report Closings
• Closings Instructions
• WSOCTV Weather Apps
• Live Stream
• WSOC 24/7 News
• Weather 24/7
• NeighborhoodTV
• The $pend $mart Stream
• Law & Crime
• Curiosity NOW
• 9 Investigates
• Carolina Panthers
• Charlotte FC
• High School Football
• Black History Month
• Carolinas Get Real
• Priced Out Of Charlotte
• Mental Health Resources
• Faces of Pride
• Family Focus
• 9 Food Drive
• 9 School Tools
• Steves Coats
• 9 Crisis Help
• Carolina Strong
• COVID-19 Community Resources
• Back to School
• Steals and Deals
• Contests (Opens in new window)
• Advertise with Us
• Daily 2 Video
• Toyota of North Charlotte
• What's on Channel 9
• What's On TV64
• Closed Captioning
• Visitor Agreement
• Privacy Policy
• Celebrando la Herencia Hispana
• Programas de Telemundo
• Share Your Pics!

A Russian attack on a Ukrainian village kills a 14-year-old girl and two others, officials say

APTOPIX Russia Ukraine War Members of the Siberian Battalion, which was formed mostly of volunteer Russian citizens, of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' International Legion, practice during military exercises, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

KYIV, Ukraine — (AP) — A Russian attack struck a grocery store and a pharmacy in a Ukrainian village close to the border with Russia on Wednesday, killing three people including a 14-year-old girl, authorities said, as the Kremlin’s forces kept up a relentless bombardment.

The strike on Lyptsi, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border, also injured a 16-year-old boy and a woman, officials in the northeastern Kharkiv region said. They did not specify what kind of weapons were used.

Another strike with guided aerial bombs destroyed a hospital in Vovchansk, a town close to the border in the Kharkiv region, and injured a man, authorities said.

With the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line barely budging in recent months, Moscow's army has kept parts of eastern and southern Ukraine under bombardment as the war stretches into its third year. The power grid has been a common target.

That has prompted Ukraine's leaders to plea for more air defense systems and ammunition from Western partners. But most of Ukraine's air interceptors, as well as artillery shells, are provided by the United States, where further funding for Kyiv has been held up in Congress .

The lack of artillery shells and air defenses is leaving Ukraine at the mercy of Russian attacks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday.

“Ukraine simply cannot wait,” Stoltenberg said in Brussels. “It needs air defenses, ammunition and aid now" from members of the military alliance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kharkiv city is being devastated by Russian guided bombs that wreak wide destruction. Almost one fourth of the city has burned, he said.

Kharkiv is near the border, "and this allows Putin to terrorize the city,” Zelenskyy told a conference in Greece via videolink.

Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed 14 out of 17 Shahed attack drones launched by Russia overnight Wednesday, a statement said.

Attacks also destroyed energy infrastructure in Mykolaiv and Odesa, according to the governors of the southern regions. Odesa regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said two people were injured.

Meanwhile, rescue workers recovered the bodies of two more people, including a 13-year-old boy, from the rubble of a building partially destroyed during a Russian aerial bomb attack in Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. Three died in all, Ukraine’s emergency services said.

Associated Press writer Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Here’s when strong storms will impact the Charlotte area Thursday

FORECAST: Severe storms expected tomorrow morning, afternoon

Mecklenburg County sheriff accuses DHHS of giving ‘unfair’ jail reports

Coast Guard: Missing man’s boat found off Wrightsville Beach; search resumes

Report: Driver, 18, was going 100 mph before Asheville crash that killed Charlotte teen

• Entertainment

Water levels rise and homes flood in Russia following collapse of dam

Russia’s government has declared the situation a federal emergency.

Russian officials have scrambled to help homeowners displaced by floods as water levels rose in the Ural River.

Floods in the Orenburg region near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan sparked the evacuation of thousands of people following the collapse of a dam on Saturday.

Although President Vladimir Putin is frequently shown on Russian state television meeting officials and travelling across the country, the Kremlin said he is not yet planning to visit the flood-hit region.

The river’s water level in the city of Orenburg was above 10 metres on Wednesday, state news agency Ria Novosti reported, citing the regional governor.

Photos shared by Russian news outlets showed roads covered in water, submerged fields and partially submerged houses.

The water was approaching high-rise buildings, Ria Novosti said, and more than 300 homes were flooded overnight, according to state news agency Tass.

People in the city of Orsk gathered in a rare protest on Monday, calling for compensation after their homes were damaged.

Protests are unusual in Russia, where authorities have consistently cracked down on any form of dissent following Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the administrative building in Orsk, and videos posted on Russian social media showed people chanting “Putin, help us” and “shame”.

Other videos on social media showed angry Russians refusing to leave the areas near their homes because they said thieves were looting abandoned houses with boats.

The floods prompted the Orsk oil refinery to suspend operations, Interfax said.

The floods had forced more than 4,000 people, including 885 children, to evacuate in the Orenburg region, the regional government said on Sunday.

Tass said on Monday that around 10,000 homes, including some 7,000 in Orsk, were flooded.

Following the protest, Tass reported that the governor of the Orenburg region, Denis Pasler, promised compensation payments to those affected.

The Ural River flows from the southern section of the Ural Mountains into the north end of the Caspian Sea, through Russia and Kazakhstan.

Three-year row continues after owner admits demolishing most of home without permission Oldbury | 12 hours ago

Youth who struck seven-year-old Katniss was travelling on stolen bike at speeds up to 52mph just before the crash Plus Crime | 3 hours ago

Investigation launched after bin lorry worker hit by refuse truck on Willenhall street Willenhall | 3 hours ago

Watch: Disused Walsall pub flattened to make way for new Lidl store Plus Business | Apr 9

Tawanda Chirewa on fast-track to top after Molineux move Plus Wolves | 12 hours ago