Uralkali boss and oligarch Dmitry Masepin apparently did not want to wait any longer for his ship. While his yacht “Aldabra” was being examined in Sardinia, he is said to have commissioned a Sardinian captain with the illegal export.
The first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine will soon be upon us – and fighting against the Russian invaders has abruptly resumed. The sanctions initially imposed against numerous oligarchs, whom parts of the western world accuse of supporting the Russian government in its illegal war of aggression, are still valid.
Those hardest hit are those whose wealth was within reach of countries like Germany, Spain, the USA or Italy at the beginning of the war – because for various reasons many yachts, villas and accounts were frozen as a precaution.
Masepin just sailed away
While a villa is quite difficult to free from the clutches of the authorities, it seems quite possible with a (comparatively small) yacht. The “Guardian” reports that Dmitri Masepin, father of ex-Formula 1 driver Nikita Masepin, succeeded in such a kidnapping.
As early as June, the oligarch is said to have commissioned a Sardinian captain to move his yacht “Aldabra” out of the port of Olbia and out of the reach of the Italian authorities. The 22 meter long ship is said to be worth between 700,000 and one million euros and was last seen in the harbor basin in June.
While the investigations were still underway to determine who really owns the ship, it is said to have left Sardinia and, after a stopover in Tunisia, to have disappeared to this day. The captain stated that he was unaware of the owner when he maneuvered the ship out of Italian waters. He, his clients and Masepin now face fines of 500,000 euros each for illegally exporting the yacht.
Villa in Sardinia remains in the hands of the authorities
A far more valuable possession, the so-called Villa “Rocky Ram” at Capo Capaccio in Romazzino, Sardinia, remains frozen. It is said to belong to Nikita Masepin, the son of the powerful Putin confidante (read more here).
Also read: Detectives searched Alisher Usmanov’s accounts: Now the Russian billionaire is speaking out
Due to the lack of IMO tracking, it is not known where the “Aldabra” is currently located. If Masepin has joined other oligarchs who currently want to protect their yachts from official access, a stay along the Turkish coast, in the Indian Ocean or near the Arabian Peninsula would be conceivable.
