Biden Has Promised To Seize The Yachts Of Russian Oligarchs

The ships, which may be as long as a football field and contain helipads and swimming pools, have appeared in ports all over the world, towering above surrounding fishing vessels and motorboats like giants.

Russian billionaires' yachts, which include some of the world's largest and most opulent "superyachts," are dazzling emblems of how Russia's rich have thrived under President Vladimir Putin's rule.

As Russian forces intensify their deadly war campaign in Ukraine, the yachts are becoming a target for the US and its European allies, who have vowed to take property owned by Putin's cronies.

French investigators seized a yacht Wednesday night that they said was related to Igor Sechin, a sanctioned Russian oil executive and close Putin confidant, as it prepared to escape a port. The ship's management business, on the other hand, denied that Sechin was the owner. Near addition, the White House announced that German officials had taken another oligarch's boat in Hamburg, despite local authorities denying that any ships had been seized.

The French seizure demonstrates that seizing billionaires' yachts will necessitate a concerted global effort — and it will almost certainly result in protracted court fights around the world, according to experts.