According to an investigation by The Observer, superyachts linked to Russian billionaires are vanishing from global tracking systems in an attempt to avoid sanctions.
The British newspaper analyzed data from a company that tracks vessels and found that six of them had disappeared from the system.
The assets include the 229 ft Galactica Super Nova, linked to the former Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov, which was last seen off the Croatian coast on March 2.
In recent months, other superyachts linked to tycoons such as Melnichenko, Kesaev, and Guryev have vanished off the radar.
Sam Tucker at VesselsValue told The Observer that there are some vessels where they used to get a signal every few minutes from transponders. It is very likely that some people have switched off the switch and gone into stealth mode.
One crew member of a superyacht linked to a Russian billionaire told the paper that they were told to turn off the AIS. We removed the screws from the power plug.
According to the International Maritime Organization, maritime law requires yachts to transmit a long range signal to enhance security of shipping and for the purposes of safety and marine environment protection.
The Observer investigation shows how difficult it is to put pressure on the Russian president to end his invasion of Ukraine.
Oligarchs are trying to protect their assets in the West. Five superyachts linked to billionaires were sent to Turkey and theMaldives, where they were free from sanctions.
No representatives of the billionaires linked to the superyachts immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.
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