U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Yacht Company That Caters to Russian Elites
WASHINGTON The U.S. government leveled sanctions against a yacht management company and its owners, describing them as part of a corrupt system that allows Russian elites and President Vladimir V. Putin to enrich themselves, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday.
Imperial Yachts, which is based in Monaco and controlled by the Moscow-born Evgeniy Kochman, caters to Russian oligarchs. The Treasury Department said Mr. Kochman and his company provide yacht-related services to Russias elites, including those in President Putins inner circle. Imperial Yachts, the department said, conducts business with at least one person subject to sanctions.
The Treasury Department also identified four yachts linked to Mr. Putin: the Shellest, the Nega, the Graceful and the Olympia. The department said Mr. Putin used the Nega for travel in Russias north, and the Shellest periodically travels to his Black Sea palace. The department said Mr. Putin has taken numerous trips in the Black Sea on the Graceful and the Olympia.
The Treasury action did not name the 459-foot Scheherazade, an Imperial Yachts-associated ship that U.S. intelligence officials say could have been built for Mr. Putins use.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/us/politics/russia-oligarchs-yachts-sanctions.html