Ukrainian protesters attempt to stop Roman Abramovich’s giant yacht in Turkish port

In an anti-war protest, Ukrainian demonstrators tried to prevent Roman Abramovich’s superyacht from docking in a Turkish port.

The luxury yacht “Solaris” belonging to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, which is reportedly worth around £450 million, sailed from Montenegro last week and attempted to dock in the Turkish port of Bodrum on Monday.

But a group of Ukrainian activists boarded a small boat and tried to prevent the yacht from docking. The group was carrying Ukrainian flags with the words “no war” printed on them.

However, the yacht eventually managed to dock despite protests when Turkish police intervened. It is not known whether Abramovich was on board the yacht or whether it was moved to Turkey to avoid sanctions.

Abramovich was in fact sanctioned by the European Union in response to Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. Montenegro is not part of the EU, but is expected to become a member as early as 2025. Earlier this month, it agreed to join sanctions against Russia, which could put Solaris at risk of seizure if it remains in Montenegro. Turkey, on the other hand, has not imposed sanctions on Russia and has positioned itself as a neutral party in the conflict.

Abramovich is not the only Russian oligarch targeted by the sanctions on his yachts. According to the Daily Mail, the owner of steel group TMK, Dmitrievich Pumpiansky, had his yacht Axioma seized on Monday when it was moored in Gibraltar. Alexei Mordashov, who is reportedly Russia’s richest man, had his yacht Italy seized earlier this month.

Abramovich, meanwhile, remains in the process of selling Chelsea after also being sanctioned by the British government. A shortlist of bidders is expected to be announced this week and the process of selling the club is likely to take at least another month.

Source: Daily Mail