At the urging of the United States, Spain on Monday seized the yacht of Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg at a shipyard on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
The 78-meter-long boat named Tango is valued at more than $99 million.
It is the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that the U.S. has been involved in seizing property belonging to a Russian oligarch. The move comes under the Justice Department’s new KleptoCapture task force, which is expected to go after more assets held by Russian oligarchs.
“Today marks our task force’s first seizure of an asset belonging to a sanctioned individual with close ties to the Russian regime. It will not be the last,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a press release. “Together, with our international partners, we will do everything possible to hold accountable any individual whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue its unjust war.”
Vekselberg, who runs the energy and aluminum conglomerate Renova, was already the subject of multiple U.S. sanctions, including over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He has yet to comment on the seizure.
Spain has reportedly seized three other yachts owned by Russian oligarchs.
Some information in this report comes from Reuters.
