By: Don Driggers
The dark and mysterious riches and assets of Russian Oligarchs are coming to light as sanctions are being imposed due to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s fleet of superyachts was revealed Friday to be more extensive than previously known following the discovery of two more luxury vessels in Antigua – both of which now face seizure, according to The New York Post.
British authorities have determined that Abramovich is the owner of the yachts Halo and Garçon, which have been the subject of persistent scrutiny while docked in Antigua as Western nations crackdown on the wealth of rich Russians during the Ukraine invasion.
Halo is valued at approximately $38 million, while Garçon is worth about $20 million, according to data from yacht valuation firm VesselsValue.
Abramovich’s ownership of the two additional superyachts came to light following an extensive investigation by the Financial Times as reported by The New York Post.
Thomas Barrabi writes, “Abramovich was already known to be the owner of the $600 million Solaris and the $700 million Eclipse, each of which fled to sea last month after the United Kingdom sanctioned the oligarch. Both yachts were last known to be docked in Turkey”.
A Financial Times reports states Abramovich “may also still own a fifth yacht, the $11 million Sussurro, that he first purchased in 1998, according to the FT. While Abramovich reportedly gave the yacht to his ex-wife following their divorce, the outlet said a source with knowledge of his fleet and other documents showed the oligarch was still linked to the vessel through another firm.”
Abramovich attended the recent peace talks between Ukraine and Russia last month at which several participants were rumored to have become sickened from poison.
According to his Wikipedia bio, Abramovich, was formerly Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug from 2000 to 2008.
According to Forbes, Abramovich’s net worth was US$14.5 billion in 2021, making him the second-richest person in Israel, the eleventh richest in Russia and the richest person in Portugal. Abramovich enriched himself in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, obtaining Russian state-owned assets at prices far below market value in Russia’s controversial loans-for-shares privatization program. Abramovich is considered to have a good relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin.”
The Wikipedia bio goes on to say, Abramovich has been married and divorced three times. In December 1987, following a brief stint in the Soviet Army, he married Olga Yurevna Lysova; they divorced in 1990.
In October 1991, he married a former Russian Aeroflot stewardess, Irina Malandina. They have five children; Ilya, Arina, Sofia, Arkadiy and Anna. His eldest daughter Anna is a graduate of Columbia University and lives in New York City, and his daughter Sofia is a professional equestrian who lives in London after graduating from Royal Holloway, University of London.
