- A super-yacht owned by a sanctioned Russian billionaire arrived in the Maldives on Monday, AFP said.
- The White House warned Saturday it could seize the yachts of sanctioned Russian oligarchs.
- The Maldives doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US.
A super-yacht owned by a US-sanctioned Russian billionaire has arrived in the Maldives, AFP reported Tuesday. It's one of several Russian-owned pleasure craft believed to be headed to the sunny island nation, which doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US.
The yacht, Clio, is owned by Oleg Deripaska, founder of Russian aluminum group Rusal, who was sanctioned by the US in 2018. Clio dropped anchor off Mala, capital of the Maldives, on Monday, AFP said, citing port officials.
At least two other super-yachts owned by Russian billionaires set sail for the Maldives shortly after Western nations threatened to seize assets from sanctioned oligarchs, according to data from Marine Traffic, reported by CNBC.
In a tweet Saturday, the White House said: "This coming week, we will launch a multilateral Transatlantic task force to identify, hunt down, and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian companies and oligarchs — their yachts, their mansions, and any other ill-gotten gains that we can find and freeze under the law."
Deripaska's 73-meter Clio "was designed for long voyages around the world and self-sufficient living for several months at a time," according to its maker Lurssen.
Deripaska was one of two Russian billionaires who spoke out on Sunday against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying in a Telegram post that "peace is very important."
The Biden administration recently targeted 10 Russian oligarchs as part of a sweeping package of sanctions against Russia. The sanctions aim to financially cripple the country's wealthiest members in retaliation for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Insider's Avery Hartman reported on Monday that Russian billionaires are still criss-crossing the globe on private jets and yachts despite the sanctions.