A yacht for Russian billionaire Abramovich escapes sanctions and docks in Turkey
A yacht owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich arrived at a port in Turkey, which has not joined the European sanctions imposed on Moscow, which also affected the owner of the Chelsea Football Club and other wealthy people close to the Kremlin.
European sanctions affect the assets of wealthy Russians, as part of efforts to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich is among those included on a sanctions list approved by the European Union last week.
Scenes were taken of the 140-meter-long "Solaris" yacht flying the Bermuda flag in the southwestern Turkish resort of Bodrum, more than a week after it was spotted in a port in Montenegro, which is not part of the European Union.
Turkey, which is a member of NATO and has strong ties with Russia and Ukraine, has not joined the sanctions targeting Moscow.
Western countries, including the United States and the European Union, imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, also affecting wealthy people and other people close to Putin.
Yachts owned by rich Russians in various countries were confiscated, while President Joe Biden vowed to Russian financiers to confiscate their "yachts, luxury apartments and private planes."
Britain froze the assets of Abramovich, who owns another larger yacht, the 162-meter "Eclipse", and imposed a travel ban on him.
The 55-year-old billionaire, who bought Chelsea in 2003, denied reports that he had bought the London football club on Putin's instructions, with the aim of expanding Russia's influence abroad in the early 2000s.
Turkey considered the Russian invasion of Ukraine "unacceptable" and presented itself as a mediator to stop the war.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news