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UKRAINE

France seizes two yachts owned by Russian oligarch

French authorities have seized two yachts, thought to worth a total of €90 million, belonging to Alexey Kuzmichev - a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

French authorities have continued in their seizure of super-yachts and other assets belonging to Russian oligarchs.
French authorities have continued in their seizure of super-yachts and other assets belonging to Russian oligarchs. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)

French authorities have confiscated two luxury yachts belonging to one of Russia’s most influential businessmen, the latest move by Western governments to seize the assets of associates of President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.

The “Little Bear,” a 17-metre vessel worth €20 million belonging to Alexey Kuzmichev, a main shareholder of the Alfa conglomerate, was seized in the Mediterranean resort of Cannes on March 16, a government source told AFP on Wednesday.

His “Big Bear,” a 26-metre boat that was being serviced in nearby Antibes, reportedly worth €70 million, was seized on Monday.

Kuzmichev, 59, “has well established ties to the Russian president,” the European Union said in a March 15 statement announcing sanctions against Russians suspected of being close to Putin.

As a billionaire who is one of Russia’s biggest taxpayers, he is accused of providing “a substantial source of revenue to the government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine,” the statement said.

The French Riviera has long been a favourite retreat for the Russian elite, many of whom got rich by swearing allegiance to Putin as he has consolidated his control of Russia since first becoming elected president in 2000.

Early this month, French authorities seized the “Amore Vero” superyacht belonging to Russia’s oil magnate Igor Sechin, an 86-metre vessel reportedly worth some $120 million.

Spain, Italy and Britain have also seized Russian yachts as part of EU efforts to pressure Putin to call off his invasion of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Gibraltar officials said they had impounded a superyacht belonging to Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyansky following a complaint from a creditor bank.

Pumpyansky, the boss of TMK, Russia’s biggest manufacturer of steel pipes, was added to the list of Russian tycoons targeted by EU and UK sanctions this month following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Member comments

  1. All wrong and getting totally out of hand. How anyone with the slightest hint of a brain cell would think that this will make any difference is an embarrassment in any Government position. The only reason is jealousy and to keep the baying mob happy.

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UKRAINE

France to transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine

France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion, President Emmanuel Macron announced.

France to transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine

“Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000-5,” fighter jets to Ukraine made by French manufacturer Dassault and train their Ukrainian pilots in France, Macron told French TV.

Macron said he would offer to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when the two meet for talks at the Elysée Palace in Paris on Friday that the pilots be trained from this summer.

“You normally need between five, six months [training]. So by the end of the year there will be pilots. The pilots will be trained in France,” he said.

He did not specify how many of the fighter jets would be delivered, and the defence ministry did not elaborate when contacted by AFP.

Macron said Ukraine faced a ‘huge challenge’ training soldiers as it sought to mobilise tens of thousands more troops to go to the front.

He said France would equip and train a brigade of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers so they can defend themselves when they return to Ukraine from training.

Kyiv has been pushing Europe to increase its military support, with Russia in recent months gaining the upper hand on the battlefield.

Zelensky’s visit to France, where on Thursday he attended ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and crossed paths with US President Joe Biden, is seen as a crucial time to drum up more help.

Macron said Ukraine has asked Western allies to send military instructors to train its forces on its soil to meet the growing challenge to build up troop numbers.

“The Ukrainian president and his minister of defence asked all the allies – 48 hours ago in an official letter – saying ‘we need you to train us quicker and that you do this on our soil’,” Macron said.

There had been speculation that Macron could swiftly announce the sending of French instructors to Ukraine, even after his talks with Zelensky on Friday.

But he said France and its allies would come together and decide and also emphasised that he did not believe any such moves by Paris were ‘escalatory’.

“We are working with our partners and we will act on the basis of a collective decision,” he said.

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