Ukraine crisis: Russia billionaires move superyachts to Maldives to escape sanctions

The arrival of at least five vessels in the island nation follows the imposition of severe Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine

Earlier, oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s 156m yacht Dilbar was seized by Germany

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Russian oligarch Andrey Molchanov’s Aurora yacht (right) berthed at the port of Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:58am, 3 Mar 2022Updated: 12:36pm, 9 Mar 2022

At least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires were anchored or cruising on Wednesday in Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, ship tracking data showed.

The vessels’ arrival in the archipelago off the coast of Sri Lanka follows the imposition of severe Western sanctions on Russia in reprisal for its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Forbes reported late on Wednesday that Germany had seized Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s mega yacht in a Hamburg shipyard.

Usmanov was on a list of billionaires to face sanctions from the European Union on Monday. A Forbes report based on three sources in the yacht industry said his 156m yacht Dilbar, valued at US$600 million, was seized by German authorities.

German authorities did not immediately respond to Reuters inquiries. Forbes said representatives for Usmanov did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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