Russian oligarchs move yachts as U.S. moves to ‘hunt down’ and freeze assets

Southampton, England, UK, Super yacht Dilbar 15,917 tones, owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov departing the Port of Southampton.

As the United States and their allies prepare for further sanctions on their property following the invasion of Ukraine, some of the Russian billionaires who have ties to President Putin are moving their superyachts.

According to data reviewed by CNBC from Marine Traffic, at least four massive yachts owned by Russian business leaders have been moving toward Montenegro and the Maldives since a wide array of sanctions were announced in recent days by leaders from around the world. According to Nomad Capitalist, there is no treaty between the U.S. and the Maldives.

The Biden administration recently announced the creation of a task force that will take aim at the Russian executives' lucrative assets. A list of properties by Russian billionaires that could be seized by the European Union is being put together by France.

We will launch a task force this week to identify, hunt down, and freeze the assets of Russian companies that have been blacklisted by the US.

With that, some of Russia's wealthiest are moving their boats to other locations in hopes of avoiding seizure.

The mega-yacht “Luna” lies in the Blohm+Voss dry dock in the harbor. The yacht, which is around 115 meters long, was built for the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and is now said to belong to another Russian oligarch.

According to Marine Traffic, Vagit Alekperov is sailing his yacht to Montenegro. It is expected to arrive there in the coming days.

According to Superyacht Fan, which tracks the comings and goings of these types of vessels, the yacht is known as Galactica Super Nova and has a glass bottom swimming pool with a waterfall. A large beach club, an elevator, and a touch-and-go helipad are included in the net worth of Alekperov.

NATO members include Montenegro. The foreign minister said that Montenegro will join the EU in their sanctions against Russia.

The small country of the Indian Ocean is getting closer to three of the Russian billionaires' yachts. Over the years, the island has become a popular destination for Russian tourists. Russia's invasion will have a big impact on the tourism sector in the Maldives.

According to Marine Traffic, the yacht known as Clio is expected to arrive in theMaldives shortly. The United States imposed sanctions on companies associated with him. He was one of the few Russians who came out against the war in Ukraine.

The priority is peace. Negotiations must start immediately, according to the woman with an estimated net worth of $4 billion.

Representatives for the billionaires mentioned in the story did not respond to requests for comment.