War in Ukraine: the yacht of a Russian oligarch seized in La Ciotat

Elise Denjean 7:31 p.m., March 3, 2022

The first European sanctions against Moscow fall.

The yacht of a Russian oligarch was seized in La Ciotat.

French customs blocked this floating palace belonging to Russian billionaire Igor Setchine.

The jets, the villas, the yachts of the Russian oligarchs are in the crosshairs of the authorities. 

Verification operations intensify

It is the fourth boat seized or frozen by France since the beginning of the conflict.

But it is the first yacht to fall into the cracks of the French net.

The customs seized, until now, cargo ships.

The ship, which belongs to the boss of the Russian oil giant Rosneft, was preparing to leave the shipyard where it was, without even having completed the planned work.

He was thus caught in the act. 

Another yacht was also checked today, in Monaco.

And indeed, verification operations are intensifying in French ports and shipyards.

As a reminder, the European sanctions target just over 500 Russian personalities or entities.

Their assets are gradually being frozen.

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Go further in the entry procedure

A meticulous job, which takes a lot of time because you have to go back to the owner and all these goods are often purchased through very complex financial arrangements.

To try to facilitate this device, Bercy is holding a meeting this evening.

With one objective: to go faster and further in the data entry procedure.