Putin's Second-Largest Yacht Spotted Off The Coast Of Estonia
The second largest yacht of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been spotted off the coast of Estonia, under a new name, more than seven months after the launch of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
The 267-foot "Graceful" super-yacht valued at 114 million dollars has been renamed "Kosatka" ("Killer Whale" in Russian), Forbes reports.
Photos of the super-yacht were taken on September 25 by Carl Groll, a contributing photographer for TheYachtPhoto.com.
The yacht was heading north in the Baltic Sea, west of the island of Saaremaa. Images show him being escorted by an armed Russian Coast Guard vessel, possibly to St. Petersburg.
The date when the yacht Graceful changed its name to Kosatka is not clear, nor when it left Kaliningrad, a Russian territory sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland.
The yacht's transponder has been off since at least August 30, according to the ship-tracking service MarineTraffic, when it was still in Kaliningrad.
Putin's Super-yacht "Graceful" Became "Killer Whale"
"Kosatka" / "Killer Whale" - then named "Graceful" - left the German port of Hamburg on February 7, seventeen days before Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the yacht "Graceful", as well as three other yachts allegedly owned by Putin, on June 2.
Reports from German newspapers suggested the expensive yacht had escaped before repairs could even be finished.
In addition to "Kosatka", Putin reportedly owns at least five other yachts: "Scheherazade" ($507 million), which is technically owned by oil and gas billionaire Eduard Khudainatov but is actually Putin's; "Olympia" ($22 million); "Chayka" ($18 million), which means "seagull" in Russian; "Shellest" ($17 million) and "Nega".
An Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation published in June shed light on the shady ties between Putin and his yachts. The firms that own "Shellest" and "Nega" have ties to LLCInvest, a network of interconnected companies and nonprofits that owns $4.5 billion in assets, including Putin's Black Sea palace complex.
Graceful - Luxury And Style
Featuring stunning and finely furnished interiors, a spiral staircase, and a swimming pool that can be converted into a dance floor, "Kosatka" - "Graceful" - was originally built by Sevmash in Russia - with interiors and exteriors envisioned by H2 Yacht Design.
According to Super-yacht Fan, during a heavy storm, "Graceful" tore away from the tug and ran ashore in Vesterålen, Northern Norway. The hull was damaged and needed repairs.
The yacht was finished at Blohm and Voss in Germany and delivered to her Russian owner in 2014.
She is powered by 2 MTU engines. Which brings her a top speed of 18 knots. Her cruising speed is 14 knots. She has a range of more than 4,000 nm.
The interiors include glossy sleek surfaces, soft cushioned sofas, deck chairs, and a posh white marble-styled bathroom, according to Daily Mail.
The office room contains multitudes of shelves for books and a desk fronted with a stunning painting of a sailing boat.
Exercise equipment can also be seen out on the deck, lined with lounge-style seating and barstools.
