Vladimir Putin’s second-largest superyacht, valued at £100million, has escaped sanctions and was recently spotted off the coast of Estonia under a new name, according to a report.
The dictator’s plaything, the 267-foot Graceful, is now sailing under the name of Kosatka (Russian for ‘killer whale’), according to Forbes, who claim Carl Groll, a contributing photographer for TheYachtPhoto.com photographed it on September 25.
The pictures show Kosatka travelling north through the Baltic Sea under the watchful eye of a Russian coastguard vessel, thought to be en route to Putin’s home town of St Petersburg.
The superyacht had beat a hasty retreat out of Germany for the Russian exclave at the onset of war, just as Western governments were threatening to embark on a seizing spree of oligarchs’ property should Putin invade Ukraine.
Reports from German newspaper Bild suggested the superyacht had escaped before repairs could even be finished.
They referenced UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who had told Putin and his allies they would ‘have nowhere to hide’ if Russia invades Kiev.
Vladimir Putin’s second-largest superyacht ‘Graceful’, valued at £100million, has reportedly been renamed Kosatka, (Russian for ‘killer whale’). It was spotted passing Estonia, thought to be on its way to St Petersburg and out of the grasp of Western governments
Vladimir Putin waits on the deck of a yacht to welcome Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on the Black Sea in May 29, 2021 in Sochi, Russia
The yacht Graceful – now Kostka – with interior and exterior design by H2 Yacht Design, was originally built by Sevmash in Russia and later moved to Germany for modifications
Kieler Nachrichten published a photograph showing Graceful docked alongside the German Navy Corvette Emden at the shipyard before it set sail
The ship’s movements and the time of its name change are unclear as its transponder has been switched off since at least August 30, according to hip tracking service MarineTraffic, when it was still in Kaliningrad.
Kosatka – then named Graceful – bade a swift adieu to the port of Hamburg on February 7, two and a half weeks before Putin gave the order to invade Ukraine, apparently bound for Russia.
It had undergone a five month refit at the shipyards of Blohm+Voss, the company that originally built the yacht in 2014.
Western governments did not sanction the ship until the US government hit it and three other yachts linked to Putin on June 2.
Featuring stunning and finely furnished interiors, a spiral staircase and a swimming pool the £73.2 million pleasure craft was originally built by Sevmash in Russia – with interiors and exteriors envisioned by H2 Yacht Design.
The interiors include glossy sleek surfaces, soft cushioned sofas and deck chairs, and a posh white marble-styled bathroom.
What appears to be an 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, which is also lined with lounge-style seating and barstools.
Putin’s largest superyacht, the luxurious £500million, 460ft-long Scheherazade – reportedly given as a Christmas gift by a group of fawning oligarchs in 2014 – was impounded in Italy in May.
Vladimir Putin’s £500million superyacht, which was given as a Christmas gift by a group of fawning oligarchs in 2014, it has been claimed, was impounded by Italy in May
The luxurious interiors spared no expense, as befitting a President of low-income Russia
The existence of the super yacht was revealed in March, with its captain named as Briton Guy Bennett-Pierce, but the crew mostly staffed by Russian secret service officers.
Now, new revelations indicate the floating palace is nominally owned by Eduard Khudainatov, former president of Rosneft, and an old KGB ally of Igor Sechin.
But Khudainatov ‘is a front man for Putin and his entourage’, said a report from Dossier Centre.
In May, Italian police finally served paperwork to the yacht’s captain, telling him it would be unable to set sail from the dry dock where it is undergoing a multi-million-pound refit.
A statement from the Italian Financial Police said in May: ‘After verification by the fiscal authorities it has come to light that there is a significant economic connection between the owner of The Scheherazade and senior elements of the Russian government.
‘On the basis of these elements it has been recommended that the yacht be placed on the current European Union sanctions list and the Minister of Finance in Rome has agreed.’