Africa-Press – Mauritius. Roman Abramovich’s superyachts are on the move as the European Union is poised to add the Russian billionaire’s name to its sanctions list. The 458-foot Solaris departed Montenegro on Monday and is currently heading south off the coast of Albania.
His other yacht, the 533-foot Eclipse, is located north of Algeria, travelling east after a transatlantic crossing. The EU sanctions disclosed Tuesday include the 55-year-old billionaire, according to documents seen by Bloomberg and people familiar with the matter.
While that list could have changed, a diplomat quoted by Reuters said Abramovich’s inclusion “will go through”. The bloc hasn’t yet published the full details in its official journal. They come on heels of similar penalties levied against Abramovich by the UK last week.
Montenegro, though not a member of the EU, has previously said it would comply with the union’s decrees, which have led to the blocking of Russian-controlled vessels docked within the bloc.
Authorities around Europe have stepped up their campaign against sanctioned tycoons with ties to President Vladimir Putin, with Spain on Monday taking control of a yacht linked to Sergey Chemezov, head of Russia’s Rostec State Corp.
, at the port of Barcelona, according to published reports. Neither the Solaris nor the Eclipse list a destination in its data. The two superyachts collectively cost well in excess of $1 billion. One of Abramovich’s private jets has also moved.
On Sunday, his Gulfstream G-650 left Moscow for Israel, returning Monday via Istanbul, according to flight tracking website ADS-B Exchange. A photograph of Abramovich — who is also an Israeli citizen — in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport shortly before his plane departed was obtained by Reuters.
Abramovich is the largest shareholder of Evraz, Russia’s second-biggest steelmaker, and also owns a stake in metal producer Norilsk Nickel. He has said he will sell Chelsea FC, the UK football club he’s owned for almost two decades, in the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich is Russia’s eighth-richest person with a net worth of $13.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg wealth index.
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