After three years off the radar, Vladimir Putin’s superyacht was spotted sailing in European waters

The Russian superyacht “Kosatka”the luxurious 82-meter-long vessel whose ownership is attributed to the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin was seen this Monday transiting the Skagerrak Strait, between Sweden and Denmark after not appearing on the radars for three years.

The development was reported by the Danish publication DR, citing data from maritime monitoring services and photographs taken by eyewitnesses on the coast. According to the media, the yacht, more than 80 meters in length and approximately 20 meters in widthpassed through Danish territorial waters on the night of June 28.

The boat first crossed the Great Belt Straitthen passed the island of Anholt and headed towards the Danish city of Skagen. The Kosatka was escorted by a Russian destroyer and a patrol vessel while sailing through the Baltic Sea.

The Danish Navy and German Coast Guard have been monitoring the movements of the Russian convoy since June 28. The Danish patrol vessel P521 Freja escorts the group of vessels.

“The Danish Armed Forces monitor, as is normal practice, vessels, including those of foreign states, transiting through Danish straits and territorial waters, and have the necessary capabilities,” the Danish Armed Forces stated in an interview with Danish public broadcaster DR.

It is the first time in more than three years that the luxurious yacht is sighted, after having turned off its transponder on August 30, 2022 – a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine– to avoid being attacked militarily and to avoid the application of the economic sanctions imposed worldwide against the main Russian fortunes.

The name of the ship, which was originally called Graceful, was changed a few years ago to Kosatka, which means “orca” in Russian. According to Forbes, The yacht is worth approximately $120 million. and among other luxury details it has a 15-meter indoor pool convertible into a dance floor.

The US Government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) includes Graceful on the list of “blocked assets in which President Vladimir Putin has interests.”

In February 2022, shortly before launching the invasion of Ukraine, Putin decided to transfer the ship – which was undergoing a renovation valued at $32 million in a Hamburg shipyard – to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

Putin’s largest superyacht, the Scheherazade, valued at 700 million dollarswas seized in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara, where it was being repaired. The United States also awards the Russian president ownership of a smaller superyacht called Olympia, valued at $22 million.