Gallagher, Moulton, Meijer, Auchincloss Introduce Yachts For Ukraine Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Seth Moulton (D-MA.), Peter Meijer (R-MI), and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) today introduced the Yachts for Ukraine Act, which would allow seized Russian assets to be repurposed for rebuilding Ukraine.

As Russia's wealthiest attempt to wait out temporary seizure of their superyachts and mansions, this bill would ensure that the assets seized under the current U.S. sanctions regimes would be permanently reallocated to humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine.

The value of Russian superyachts, alone, amounts to billions of dollars.

" Putin's war in Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced millions of Ukrainians. The cost of this humanitarian crisis should be paid for by Putin and the cronies who have supported him, and converting proceeds from their seized assets to help Ukraine is an obvious way to punish these thugs and increase aid for Ukrainians," said Congressman Gallagher.

"Some Russian oligarchs think they can ride out this war on their yachts in the Mediterranean," said Congressman Moulton. "They're more concerned with where their next batch of caviar is coming from than confronting their enabler, the war criminal Vladimir Putin, about how he is destroying lives and wrecking the Russian economy. Now these oligarchs will know that the U.S. will do everything in its power to seize their assets for good—and finally put them to good use, rebuilding the country their acquiescence has helped destroy."

" Our message is simple: if you're an oligarch, we're coming for your assets, wherever you have them hidden. If you're in Ukraine fighting on the front lines of democracy, more help is on the way," said Congressman Auchincloss.

" The United States must no longer turn a blind eye towards Russian oligarchs and any assets they have hidden in our country," said Congressman Meijer. " I am proud to join this legislative effort to send yet another clear message that we intend to hold Vladimir Putin and his cronies accountable for their illegal invasion of Ukraine, and we will use every economic sanction available to economically isolate anyone who is complicit in Putin's terror around in the world."

Click HERE for bill text.

National Politics | 2 Democratic congressmen introduce ‘Yachts…

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National politics | 2 democratic congressmen introduce ‘yachts for ukraine’ act to direct oligarch assets to aid ukraine.

yachts for ukraine act

Bay State House members and veterans Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss are hoping to redirect Russian billionaires’ assets, in the form of yachts and penthouses, to help Ukrainians.

“Some Russian oligarchs think they can ride out this war on their yachts in the Mediterranean,” Moulton, a Democrat from Salem, said in a statement. “They’re more concerned with where their next batch of caviar is coming from than confronting their enabler, the war criminal Vladimir Putin, about how he is destroying lives and wrecking the Russian economy.”

Auchincloss, a Newton Democrat, added, “Our message is simple: if you’re an oligarch, we’re coming for your assets, wherever you have them hidden. If you’re in Ukraine fighting on the front lines of democracy, more help is on the way.”

Oligarchs, or Russia’s corrupt and wealthy elite with close ties to the Kremlin, have already faced steep sanctions in the U.S. and abroad for their country’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.K., for example, sanctioned the Chelsea Football Club’s owner, Roman Abramovich. The Brits halted the sale, player transfers and merchandise sales for the team.

This bill would permanently allow the funds from seized Russian assets to fund humanitarian and rebuilding efforts for Ukraine.

“We’ve got no interest in having their funds in our financial system in the first place,” he said.

Although the lawmakers noted that the oligarchs’ superyachts are worth “billions of dollars” alone, Miller argues it’s not enough to make a significant dent in Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis.

“The sentiment is certainly in the right direction, and there’s a lot more that will have to be done to rebuild Ukraine,” he said.

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Give Seized Russian Assets to Ukraine as Reparations

While Ukraine has had some enormous early successes in facing down the Russian invasion, the road ahead will be extremely difficult . The atrocities in Bucha and beyond—as well as speculation over Russian chemical warfare —underscore the need for the international community to support Ukraine by intensifying pressure on Russia. As editors of the Brookings Sanctions Tracker , we know sanctions are one of the most important ways to do that. The unprecedented early sanctions regime against Russia’s central bank helped freeze much of Vladimir Putin’s war chest. Now Russia’s continued escalation means it is time for the U.S. and our allies to up the ante by leveraging existing legal authorities and adding new laws to seize frozen assets and use the proceeds to support Ukraine.

The U.S., Europe, and other allies have, of course, already implemented historic economic countermeasures against Russian aggression. That includes the latest sanctions from the U.S. that targeted Putin’s family, Russia’s largest financial institution, and its largest private bank. Congress further strengthened the blow by recently passing a new law revoking Russia’s preferred trade relations status, banning U.S. purchases of Russian oil and gas, and implementing a World War II–style lend-lease to Ukraine. Yet more must be done to increase pressure on Russia.

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One key additional step that would bolster Ukraine while damaging Russia would be to establish a fund or commission that uses Russian wealth to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. Typically, U.S. sanctions freeze rather than seize the assets of a targeted individual. By actually seizing and liquidating assets, the U.S. can use the funds for Ukraine and its people.

The time has come to set aside our usual reluctance—for legal and diplomatic reasons—to take frozen U.S.-based property owned by a foreign state or individual and liquidate it for the benefit of victims. Efforts such as the Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act , recently introduced by Rep. Tom Malinowski, seek to liquidate Russian oligarchs’ assets and use the proceeds for postwar reconstruction and humanitarian and military aid. Some leading commentators have also called for the liquidation of frozen Russian central bank dollar reserves. These proposals raise important political and legal questions . Our view is that there is sufficient need, precedent, and authority for these kinds of measures if they’re done right. In short, we should use all legal tools in our arsenal.

Of course, the impulse for fundamental justice must be balanced by the rule of law and due process. No matter how awful the behavior is, the U.S. court system does not allow easy seizure and transfer of property. That of the Russian state is protected by the legal doctrine of sovereign immunity and other domestic and international law; that of oligarchs is protected by mechanisms such as due process. There have been robust debates on these legal considerations , but we believe these critiques are soluble. For instance, Malinowski has offered to change the legislation as needed to protect due process, “including by incorporating a new judicial mechanism” for asset seizure.

The United States is no stranger to seizures of ill-gotten gains through appropriate legal process. For instance, the Department of Justice prosecuted Equatorial Guinea’s Second Vice President Nguema Obiang for purchasing U.S. commodities with proceeds of corruption. The settlement forced Nguema Obiang to “relinquish assets worth an estimated $30 million and prevents Nguema Obiang from hiding other stolen money in the United States.” South Florida federal authorities also seized $450 million in bank accounts and other assets since targeting Venezuelan corruption in 2017.

While the legality of new mechanisms must be carefully considered, it is essential that Ukrainian victims have a voice and tool for justice. That concern outweighs any historical or prudential reluctance to go to the limit to, in effect, start funding reparations from Russian property. We should look to models that have been utilized to address other extreme situations. Using precedents like the Justice for U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act , Congress could allow the courts to adjudicate and award damages to individual victims, extending jurisdiction to the full extent permitted by the Constitution.

To take another example, in 2012, Congress allowed frozen Iranian central bank assets to be used to satisfy judgments separately secured by victims of Iranian-sponsored terror. To address arguments that this was an unlawful property grab, Congress did not simply dictate liquidation of the property but established an elaborate mechanism of judicial review, which the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately upheld .

Asset seizure legislation should be complemented by other measures to hold Russian actors accountable. For example, new legislation to increase beneficial ownership transparency and expose proxy owners of Russian wealth is also important. Such forms of sunlight make it harder for actors to conceal their ill-gotten gains and make it easier to facilitate the collection of admissible evidence.

It’s important to note that international coordination is key to addressing implementation gaps in sanctions and facilitating seizures across jurisdictions. Other countries are wrestling with these same questions about how to best support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable. For example, Canada has proposed legislation that “establishes a legal avenue to seize and repurpose assets frozen under any human rights and corruption-related sanctioning authorities (regardless of the country context) as reparations for the relevant crimes.” In the United Kingdom, as of early March, Cabinet minister Michael Gove was drawing up plans to seize property in the U.K. owned by Russian oligarchs associated with Putin.

These strong new approaches are merited because the documented human rights abuses in Ukraine have been extreme. U.S. President Joe Biden has described it as genocide. These new directions are no substitute for other legal remedies, like war crime tribunals. But those are notoriously slow and may result in uneven accountability for those responsible for atrocities. We must do more to support Ukraine and its people now. The U.S. and allies must show Putin’s circle there are real consequences to invasions and human rights abuses. Seizing frozen assets is an important step in the right direction, and the U.S. has an opportunity to lead the charge. We hope other jurisdictions will follow U.S. leadership in this area, as they have in so many other respects.

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To take a yacht or not? Why it may not be legal to seize Russian oligarchs' property.

Serious legal questions surround seizures of oligarchs' assets. we shouldn't fight lawlessness in russia by dispensing with it in our own country..

One of the most celebrated moments of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address came when he spoke directly to Russian oligarchs: “We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains .”

The Russian oligarch has become a universally despised embodiment of the Putin regime after the Ukrainian invasion. Not surprisingly, the seizure of obscenely opulent yachts  – like the 213-foot yacht owned by Alexei Mordashov in Italy and Igor Sechin’s 280-foot yacht in France – has been praised as a victory in defense of democracy. Resorts, planes and other property also have been seized. (Putin moved his yacht , Graceful, out to sea before the invasion, according to Insider)  

Seizing property owned by the super wealthy is always good politics. Biden's line was strikingly similar to the warning of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to wealthy Americans in the 2020 presidential campaign that she was coming after " your Rembrandts, your stock portfolio, your diamonds and your yachts .” Warren's pledge rested on highly dubious constitutional assumptions but was repeated by other Democratic candidates.

We should question unlawful seizures

In contrast, questioning the legal basis for seizing the boats and baubles of the super wealthy is hardly popular. The "oligarch" is a term without any redeeming or positive connotations. It has joined the seal clubber and the hazmat dumper as categorically despised identities.

There is an obvious class warfare element to these anti-war measures. A German leader, for example, called for yachts to be given to nongovernmental organizations to shuttle migrants from Africa and Asia to Europe.

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Indeed, some on the left balk at limiting seizures to Russian billionaires. As an Australian writer noted, "If expropriating the super yachts and other overseas assets of Russian oligarchs … sounds reasonable, there is an even more reasonable case to expropriate the wealth gains of the world’s 10 richest men and use it for social good."

It's actually a fair point, because there may be no more legal justification to seize a Russian billionaire's property than Jeff Bezos' mega-yacht .

For the record, I am not and have never been a member of the oligarch class. Nor do I hold any sympathy for these figures who acquired their billions from close association with Vladimir Putin or because of their special status in Russia. 

What happens after Russian war?

The problem is that our leaders may be overselling the legal justification for these seizures. Serious legal questions surround the seizures of boats, planes and other property owned by oligarchs. In these largely uncharted waters, many of the owners are likely to get back their yachts and other property after the headlines have receded.

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The United States and Western countries have considerable authority to seize property, but less authority to keep it. The reason is that, unlike Russia, these countries are bound by property rights and rules of due process.

The authority for such seizures is fairly consistent and straightforward. The United States and other countries are alleging that the property may constitute a form of money laundering or ill-gotten gains. Under U.S. civil forfeiture laws, the Justice Department only requires a warrant to seize an asset allegedly used to commit a crime or that represents the " proceeds of illegal activity .” 

The hard part is to keep it. 

The oligarchs are fantastically wealthy with massive companies, sports teams and other assets. While they often acquired such wealth through insider deals and special status in countries like Russia or China, they run businesses that generate billions in revenue through public transactions. 

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Prosecutors must show that the property is being used to commit a crime or was purchased from ill-gotten gains, but the oligarchs will try to show revenue sources from established businesses.

In other words, prosecutors would have to show that large corporations that have operated for decades in international markets are now deemed criminal enterprises for the purposes of these properties. It is not clear that governments now seizing the property will be able to establish the nexus between an alleged crime and these proceeds or property for some, if not most, of the oligarchs.

Clearly, the isolation of oligarchs serves to put pressure on Putin and potentially create wedges between him and his most powerful allies. One oligarch, Leonid Nevzlin, has renounced his citizenship while denouncing the invasion. He has insisted that “I was one of the first to be hit by Putin. He threw my friends in jails, and killed some of them."

Another oligarch, Roman Abramovich, announced that he would sell the Chelsea soccer team and donate the proceeds to the victims of the Ukraine war. It didn't help. He was added to the sanctions list for seizures.

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There are other complications. Oligarchs are pulling funds from a wide array of accounts and companies with different streams of revenue. Their yachts often are in the names of separate legal entities as opposed to their personal property. Take the Dilbar, the 512-foot monstrosity of Alisher Usmanov seized in Germany. It is reportedly registered in the Cayman Islands under a company in Malta.

Yachts for Ukraine Act

These issues could soon be before U.S. courts. Members of Congress are clamoring to sign on to the  Yachts for Ukraine Act . The name alone is enough to produce a drooling Pavlovian response from most politicians. It would allow the seizure of any property held by Russian elites in America that is valued above $5 million and allow the government to sell the seized assets and use the cash to aid Ukraine. 

One bill even allows for the issuing of "letters of marque" to allow citizens to engage in privateering to seize yachts themselves like Sir Francis Drake. The United States used such letters in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 .

The Yachts for Ukraine Act shows the casual crafting of proposed laws. The act covers persons who meet two criteria. First, they must have " the wealth of which, according to credible information , is derived in part through corruption linked to or political support for the regime of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin."

What constitutes credible information, corruption or political support is simply left to the imagination of regulators. Under that standard (sans the Putin link), most global billionaires could be targeted, given their often close association and support of ruling governments. 

The second criteria is even more intractable: The person must be linked to sanctions imposed by the president "relating to corruption, human rights violations, the malign influence of the Russian Federation, or conflicts in Ukraine ."

Again, what must the nexus be for a connection to constitute malign influence or corruption?

The greatest irony might be yet to come. When a country seizes these vessels, they create a bailment, or responsibility, for the property. Yachts are notorious for requiring high levels of care and maintenance from full-time crews. If they deteriorate in government possession, the oligarchs could demand damages, requiring countries to pay for repairs before they set sail for their next golden sunset. 

None of this means that we should not target companies and oligarchs who are directly supporting this unprovoked and unlawful war. However, we do not fight lawlessness in Russia by dispensing with the rule of law in our own country.

There are meaningful actions that Congress can still take to pressure Putin. We cannot be distracted by the shining objects of American politics. The Ukrainians are facing immediate destruction and need meaningful action. 

Jonathan Turley is the  Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law  at George Washington University and a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter:  @JonathanTurley

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  • Posted on March 25, 2022 March 25, 2022
  • by Robert Hayes

Congressman Seth Moulton Introduces ‘Yachts For Ukraine’ Act

Below is a press release from Congressman Seth Moulton’s Office :

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressmen Seth Moulton  (D-Mass.),  Mike Gallagher  (R-Wisc.),  Jake Auchincloss  (D-Mass.), and  Peter Meijer  (R-Mich.) have introduced the  Yachts for Ukraine Act , which would allow seized Russian assets to be repurposed for rebuilding Ukraine.

As Russia’s wealthiest attempt to wait out temporary  seizure of their superyachts and mansions, this legislation would ensure that the assets seized under the current U.S. sanctions regimes would be permanently reallocated to humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine.  The value of Russian superyachts, alone, amounts to billions of dollars.

“Some Russian oligarchs think they can ride out this war on their yachts in the Mediterranean,” said  Congressman Moulton . “They’re more concerned with where their next batch of caviar is coming from than confronting their enabler, the war criminal Vladimir Putin, about how he is destroying lives and wrecking the Russian economy. Now these oligarchs will know that the U.S. will do everything in its power to seize their assets for good—and finally put them to good use, rebuilding the country their acquiescence has helped destroy.”

“Our message is simple: if you’re an oligarch, we’re coming for your assets, wherever you have them hidden. If you’re in Ukraine fighting on the front lines of democracy, more help is on the way,” said  Congressman Auchincloss .

“Putin’s war in Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced millions of Ukrainians. The cost of this humanitarian crisis should be paid for by Putin and the cronies who have supported him, and converting proceeds from their seized assets to help Ukraine is an obvious way to punish these thugs and increase aid for Ukrainians,” said  Congressman Gallagher .

“The United States must no longer turn a blind eye towards Russian oligarchs and any assets they have hidden in our country,” said  Congressman Meijer.  “ I am proud to join this legislative effort to send yet another clear message that we intend to hold Vladimir Putin and his cronies accountable for their illegal invasion of Ukraine, and we will use every economic sanction available to economically isolate anyone who is complicit in Putin’s terror around in the world.”

Full bill text  HERE .

Like Wilmington Apple on  Facebook . Follow Wilmington Apple on  Twitter . Follow Wilmington Apple on  Instagram . Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter  HERE . Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email  [email protected] .

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yachts for ukraine act

Members of Congress support Yachts For Ukraine Act

Bound for cheaper waters?

A handful of Congressional leaders, including a West Michigan legislator, are introducing yet another bill increasing economic sanctions on Russian oligarchs, but this one would help finance Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade neighbor Ukraine has triggered an avalanche of economic sanctions targeting the Russian financial system and businesses. Also targeted are oligarchs supporting Putin. Those oligarchs are known for amassing wealth and nations around the world are seizing their mansions and yachts. Now, what to do with those properties?

A bipartisan bill has been drafted by four U.S. House members. Democratic representatives Jake Auchincloss and Seth Moulton from Massachusetts and Republicans Mike Gallagher from Wisconsin and West Michigan congressman Peter Meijer.

The Yachts for Ukraine Act is straight forward; those seized mansions and yachts are valuable and should be repurposed providing humanitarian aid and rebuilding Ukraine when the war ends.

U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer said, “The United States must no longer turn a blind eye towards Russian oligarchs and any assets they have hidden in our country, I am proud to join this legislative effort to send yet another clear message that we intend to hold Vladimir Putin and his cronies accountable for their illegal invasion of Ukraine, and we will use every economic sanction available to economically isolate anyone who is complicit in Putin’s terror around the world.”

It’s estimated the value of oligarch’s yachts alone are worth billions of dollars.

Massachusetts Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss sponsor ‘Yachts for Ukraine Act’ to target Russian oligarchs and their assets

  • Published: Mar. 23, 2022, 5:31 p.m.

Luxury Yacht of Russian Businessman Roman Abramovich

A view of Eclipse, a luxury yacht reported to belong to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, docked at a port in the resort of Marmaris, Turkey, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (IHA via AP) AP

Four U.S. representatives, two of whom represent Massachusetts and are both veterans, have sponsored legislation called the “Yachts for Ukraine Act,” meant to target the assets of Russian oligarchs and repurpose them to help rebuild the invaded country and assist its people.

Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss, both Democrats, joined two Republican representatives — Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Peter Meijer of Michigan — in proposing the bill which would allow for funds from seized assets of sanctioned individuals to be permanently reallocated for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, according to a release from Moulton.

“Some Russian oligarchs think they can ride out this war on their yachts in the Mediterranean,” said Moulton in a statement. “They’re more concerned with where their next batch of caviar is coming from than confronting their enabler, the war criminal Vladimir Putin, about how he is destroying lives and wrecking the Russian economy.”

Moulton added in the release that the “U.S. will do everything in its power to seize their assets for good,” to “put them to good use,” and that it will serve as a reminder to the oligarchs about their “acquiescence” to the destruction of Ukraine.

“Our message is simple: if you’re an oligarch, we’re coming for your assets, wherever you have them hidden. If you’re in Ukraine fighting on the front lines of democracy, more help is on the way,” Auchincloss added in a statement.

The release said that wealthy Russians are currently attempting to wait out temporary seizures of their superyachts and mansions, and that should the bill pass and become law, the value of seized Russian yachts alone would amount to “billions of dollars.”

The release also quoted the two other representatives, with Gallagher saying that the war in Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced millions and that the “cost of this humanitarian crisis should be paid for by Putin and the cronies who have supported him.”

Gallagher added that the bill is “an obvious way to punish these thugs and increase aid to Ukrainians,” with Meijer stating “we will use every economic sanction available to economically isolate anyone who is complicit in Putin’s terror.”

Moulton , of the state’s 6th congressional district comprising most of the North Shore, and Auchincloss , of the state’s 4th congressional district comprising areas west and southwest of Boston, both are Marine veterans who served overseas with Moulton having served in Iraq and Auchincloss in Afghanistan.

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yachts for ukraine act

Bay State House members and veterans Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss are hoping to redirect Russian billionaires’ assets, in the form of yachts and penthouses, to help Ukrainians.

“Some Russian oligarchs think they can ride out this war on their yachts in the Mediterranean,” Moulton, a Democrat from Salem, said in a statement. “They’re more concerned with where their next batch of caviar is coming from than confronting their enabler, the war criminal Vladimir Putin, about how he is destroying lives and wrecking the Russian economy.”

Auchincloss, a Newton Democrat, added, “Our message is simple: if you’re an oligarch, we’re coming for your assets, wherever you have them hidden. If you’re in Ukraine fighting on the front lines of democracy, more help is on the way.”

Oligarchs, or Russia’s corrupt and wealthy elite with close ties to the Kremlin, have already faced steep sanctions in the U.S. and abroad for their country’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.K., for example, sanctioned the Chelsea Football Club’s owner, Roman Abramovich. The Brits halted the sale, player transfers and merchandise sales for the team.

This bill would permanently allow the funds from seized Russian assets to fund humanitarian and rebuilding efforts for Ukraine.

Even though oligarchs have questioned the effect of the sanctions on Putin’s decisions, Chris Miller, an assistant professor at the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, said these sanctions are more of a medium- to long-term solution than a short-term one. They’re designed to weaken Russia’s military and “embarrass” the Kremlin for the illegitimate ways its oligarchs acquired the wealth.

“We’ve got no interest in having their funds in our financial system in the first place,” he said.

Although the lawmakers noted that the oligarchs’ superyachts are worth “billions of dollars” alone, Miller argues it’s not enough to make a significant dent in Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis.

“The sentiment is certainly in the right direction, and there’s a lot more that will have to be done to rebuild Ukraine,” he said.

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Insiders still have no idea what's going to happen to Russian oligarchs' seized superyachts

  • It's been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to sanctions against Russian oligarchs.
  • Many of their superyachts were seized or frozen , leading industry insiders to question their fate.
  • The yachts, some of which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, remain in a state of limbo.

Insider Today

More than two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the boating world still doesn't have many answers about what's going on with the very large, expensive elephants in the sea: oligarchs' superyachts .

The war prompted many governments to enact sanctions against Russia's richest , including seizing their superyachts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But it's unclear whether they can be sold or who'd buy them, leaving ports peppered with massive boats stuck in a floating limbo.

"The Russian problem, it's becoming a bigger and bigger and bigger problem," one luxury yacht broker told Business Insider at the Palm Beach International Boat Show last week. Like many others, he requested not to be named, given the sensitive nature of the matter at hand and the generally discreet nature of the industry.

Russia has been a massive player in the massive boat market for a long time. In August 2021 — about six months before Russia's Ukraine invasion — Russians owned the second-largest share of yachts over 40 meters in length, according to a report from the industry publication SuperYacht Times.

They were responsible for 16% of new build superyacht purchases in the decade preceding the report and are known for splashing out on extravagant interiors and unique features. (One builder BI spoke to recalled a mandate from an oligarch for a large safe in the owner's cabin in which he could keep his rifles. The builder later learned he'd use them to skeet shoot on deck.)

But those sales have now screeched to a halt as oligarchs get hit by international sanctions. At least a dozen superyachts — worth well over $1 billion combined — have been affected.

And no one is quite sure what will happen to them.

Russia's sanctioned superyachts are hard to buy and sell

The first problem is that many of the yachts are "frozen" — not seized. That means that although the Russian owners can't operate or collect them, they don't technically belong to an overseas government, so they can't be sold without special permission.

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors petitioned a judge asking for consent to sell the Amadea, the 106-meter superyacht that has been docked in San Diego and costs the US as much as $922,000 a month to maintain.

"I've had some inquiries, but all you can tell them is we don't know the outcome yet" of the case, another superyacht broker told BI at the yacht show.

Related stories

And despite the broker's claim of interest in yachts like Amadea , most ultrarich — or at least their brokers — don't want to go near the vessels with a ten-foot pole, even if the government does get legal permission to sell them.

"How does it look if you bought a Russian boat?" Julia Simpson, a broker at Thompson of Monaco, said. "Even if it's completely legal and normal, there are too many things on the line," she said, like how the original owner got their money and whether that could make the new buyer look bad.

There are also possible legal implications, as it's hard for the government to prove who actually owns the yachts.

"Oligarchs typically structure their ownership of these high-value assets through a web of offshore shell companies and trusts that is designed to conceal the true owner," Joshua Naftalis, a former federal prosecutor who now works for Pallas Partners, told BI.

And if the government does assume ownership, it's highly dependent on court orders. For example, a Russian whose yacht had been seized by the French government regained access to his boat after winning a legal battle in 2022.

"It's a very difficult process to buy them," Ralph Dazert, the head of intelligence at SuperYacht Times, told BI. "There is a high risk of the former (Russian) owner suing you to get the boat back."

He pointed to the Alfa Nero, the 82-meter yacht that Eric Schmidt planned to purchase for $67 million last year in an auction put on by Antigua and Barbuda. He backed out after various parties tried to block the sale, likely deeming it not worth the legal headache.

"When the reason for sanctioning goes away, which it may do," the Russian owners will try to get their boats back , Simpson said. After all, "the government's not going to pay them."'

That said, if sanctions are dropped, the yachts will be worth much less than when they were seized, as a boat not in use deteriorates much faster than one sailing the seas.

"Those yachts need to be used to be kept in shape, kept in condition," the second broker said. "​​Just having them sit at the dock with a temporary crew on board is not good for the boats."

And the sanctioned Russians who have managed to maintain control of their superyachts won't have an easy time offloading them in the future.

Americans who try to do business with sanctioned oligarchs would have a number of hoops to jump through — like finding a bank to process the purchase, which would be next to impossible. If somehow they did and the government caught wind, they'd face hefty penalties and the transaction would be void.

So Russia's richest have found themselves "stuck" sailing in a select few countries that will let them, like the Maldives, Montenegro, and Dubai.

Watch: Video of Russian naval ship explosion shows a much-needed win for Ukraine

yachts for ukraine act

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H.R. 7187 (117 th ): Yachts for Ukraine Act

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Defense spending bill has some Ukraine aid, multiyear munitions buys

yachts for ukraine act

The House and Senate on Thursday released the compromise text of their fiscal 2024 defense spending bill, nearly halfway through the fiscal year that began in October.

Congress is expected to begin votes on the $825 billion defense spending bill on Friday; Pentagon funding via a stopgap measure is slated to expire at the end of that same day. The bipartisan bill adheres to the spending caps imposed by last year’s debt ceiling deal . It funds the procurement of eight battle ships and dozens of new aircraft, provides a small amount of Ukraine military aid and offers multiyear procurement for six critical munitions.

“As chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, I have prioritized five areas that are reflected in this act: countering China and staying ahead of our adversaries; prioritizing innovation of military superiority, achieving a more efficient and effective Pentagon; enhancing the military’s role in countering efforts and supporting our servicemembers and their families,” Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., said in a statement.

The bill includes $33.5 billion to build eight ships and allocates funds for 86 F-35 and 24 F-15 EX fighter jets as well as 15 KC-46A tankers. There’s also a combined $2.1 billion for the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic weapons system.

The bill retains $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the Pentagon to place contracts for equipment to send Kyiv. House Republican leaders had initially removed the $300 million in Ukraine aid amid opposition from the right flank of their caucus when they narrowly passed their version of the defense spending bill 218-210 in September.

But even with the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds back in the bill, the $300 million is far less than the $60 billion in security and economic support for Kyiv provided in the Senate’s foreign aid bill. The Senate passed the aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan 70-29 in February but House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has so far refused to put it on the floor amid opposition from former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Separately, the compromise defense spending bill includes funding for multiyear contracts to procure six critical munitions: the Naval Strike Missile, the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, the PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3, the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

Multiyear contracts are usually reserved for big-ticket purchases like ships and aircraft, but the Pentagon hopes using them for munitions will ensure demand stability to encourage defense contractors to ramp up production capacity. Defense appropriators granted the Pentagon’s request to use multiyear contracts for all but one munition: the Standard Missile-6. The defense-industrial base has struggled to quickly replenish the billions of dollars worth of munitions drawn down from U.S. stockpiles for Ukraine .

The FY24 defense policy bill, which Congress passed in December , authorizes multiyear contracts for six additional munitions outside the Pentagon’s request. But the FY24 defense spending bill does not fund those additional multiyear contracts.

War games hosted by the House China Committee in April found the U.S. would rapidly run out of munitions — including the SM-6, Naval Strike Missile and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile — in a war with Beijing in the Pacific. That committee endorsed multiyear munitions buys as part of a series of 10 bipartisan recommendations on Taiwan it drafted in May.

Additionally, the bill provides an $800 million boost to the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit , for a total budget of $983 million in FY24. It also provides $200 million for Replicator , the Pentagon’s effort to buy and field thousands of drones by next August.

Finally, the legislation cuts funding for the Defense Department civilian workforce by $1 billion.

The compromise bill eliminates many of the amendments Republicans introduced when they passed their version of the bill in September. That includes an amendment from Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., that would have reduced Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s salary to $1 .

The bill also drops a priority a proposal championed by Calvert that would have moved Mexico from U.S. Northern Command to Southern Command . Calvert argued last year this would “prioritize combatting the trafficking of fentanyl by Mexican drug cartels.”

Although Mexico will remain in Northern Command, the bill includes a $50 million increase to counter illicit fentanyl and synthetic opioids.

Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News.

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A man sits in a fishing boat, with a stork perched on its bow.

Turkey DISPATCH

A Stork, a Fisherman and Their Unlikely Bond Enchant Turkey

Thirteen years ago, a stork landed on a fisherman’s boat looking for food. He has come back every year since, drawing national attention.

Adem Yilmaz in his fishing boat with his stork companion, Yaren. Credit...

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By Ben Hubbard and Safak Timur

Photographs by Ivor Prickett

Reporting from Eskikaraagac, Turkey

  • March 30, 2024

Thirteen years ago, a poor fisherman in a small Turkish village was retrieving his net from a lake when he heard a noise behind him and turned to find a majestic being standing on the bow of his rowboat.

Gleaming white feathers covered its head, neck and chest, yielding to black plumes on its wings. It stood atop skinny orange legs that nearly matched the color of its long, pointy beak.

The fisherman, Adem Yilmaz, recognized it as one of the white storks that had long summered in the village, he recalled, but he had never seen one so close, much less hosted one on his boat.

Wondering if it was hungry, he tossed it a fish, which the bird devoured. He tossed another. And another.

So began an unlikely tale of man and bird that has captivated Turkey as the passing years — and a deft social media campaign by a local nature photographer — have spread the pair’s story as a modern-day fable of cross-species friendship.

The stork, nicknamed Yaren, or “companion,” in Turkish, not only returned to Mr. Yilmaz’s boat repeatedly that first year, the fisherman said, but after migrating south for the winter, returned the next spring to the same village, the same nest — and the same boat.

Last month, after Yaren appeared in the village for the 13th year in a row, the local news media gleefully covered his arrival like the springtime sighting of a Turkish Punxsutawney Phil .

People posing in front of a larger-than-life statue of a man standing on a boat, his metal arm reaching out to a metal stork.

The pair’s story has brought unexpected fame, although no serious fortune, to Mr. Yilmaz, 70, and Yaren, estimated to be 17. They have co-starred in a children’s book and an award-winning documentary . A children’s adventure movie featuring a cameo by Mr. Yilmaz (and a digital rendering of the stork) is expected to debut in cinemas across Turkey this year.

Stork lovers everywhere can watch Yaren and his partner, Nazli, or “coquette” in Turkish, as they preen, contort their necks, clack their beaks, renovate their nest and occasionally mate, thanks to a 24-hour webcam set up by the local government.

“This is not a tale. This is a true story,” Ali Ozkan, the mayor of Karacabey, whose district includes the village, said in an interview. “It is a true story with the flavor of a tale.”

The bird’s celebrity has bolstered municipal efforts to increase local tourism with walking paths and coffee shops near the district’s lakes and wetlands, he said. The area has developed a stork “master plan” to care for the birds.

He initially faced some criticism from constituents who wondered why a mayor was getting involved with storks, he said. But now, residents call in when they notice damaged nests, and a friend from another city recently phoned him to complain that he could not see Yaren on the webcam.

The story has put Mr. Yilmaz’s village of Eskikaraagac — population 235 — on the map, drawing groups of students and tourists who stroll its narrow streets to see the storks and take boat rides on neighboring Lake Uluabat. Many visitors seek out Yaren’s nest, which sits on a platform atop an electric pole near Mr. Yilmaz’s house, and act star-struck when they encounter the fisherman himself, peppering him with questions and posing for photographs.

yachts for ukraine act

Sea of Marmara

Eskikaraagac

Mediterranean

One recent morning, Mr. Yilmaz stood in the yard of his small, two-story house holding a tub of fish he had caught. In their nest overhead, Yaren and Nazli dozed, groomed themselves and filled the air with the percussive clacking of their beaks.

“Yaren!” Mr. Yilmaz called.

Both birds glided down to the yard, and Mr. Yilmaz lofted fish into their beaks.

“They are full,” Mr. Yilmaz announced after the birds had downed about two dozen fish. “After 13 years, I can tell.”

Storks have long nested in the village, arriving in the spring and mating before migrating in the late summer toward Africa.

Village elders recall when there seemed to be a stork nest on every roof and residents struggled to prevent the birds from swiping laundry from outdoor lines. But most people liked the birds, whose arrival right after pink flowers bloomed on the almond trees was a harbinger of spring.

Ridvan Cetin, the village’s elected authority, said a count in the 1980s found 41 active nests, meaning 82 storks, not including chicks.

This year, the village has only four active nests, including Yaren’s.

“Now they are very few,” Mr. Cetin said sadly.

No one in the village could recall a bond similar to that between Mr. Yilmaz and Yaren.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Mr. Cetin said.

For Mr. Yilmaz, a quiet man with leathery hands and a kind, rutted face, Yaren was a serendipitous addition to what he had hoped would be a late, restful chapter in an otherwise difficult life.

He grew up poor. His father pulled him out of school to work in the fields and fish, no matter how cold the weather.

“My life was between the field and the lake,” he said.

His mother died when he was 13. His father remarried when he was 17 to a woman Mr. Yilmaz did not like. So, with only an elementary school education, he fled to Bursa, the nearest big city, and worked in a factory that made yogurt and other milk products.

At 19, he married another villager he had known since childhood. They lost their first child, a daughter, weeks after her birth. He worked in different milk factories as he and his wife raised three other children, two boys and a girl.

In 2011, with his children grown and living elsewhere with his five grandchildren, he stopped working, returned to the village and moved back into his childhood home, next to the lake where he had fished as a child.

“It was my dream from the day I started working to go to my village and fish,” he said.

Soon after, the stork landed on his boat.

Each time Yaren left, Mr. Yilmaz wondered whether he would return. But after a few years, he stopped worrying.

“I was sure that as long as I was alive, this bird was going to return,” he said.

Early on, no one much cared that Mr. Yilmaz had made friends with a stork. Other villagers teased him or said he was wasting his time — and his fish.

That changed in year five, when Alper Tuydes, a hunter turned wildlife photographer who works for the local government, began sharing photographs of the pair on social media. The story spread, getting a lift each spring with Yaren’s arrival.

The relationship of man and bird corresponds with known stork behaviors, said Omer Donduren, a Turkish ornithologist.

Although storks avoid direct contact with people, they often roost near them, on roofs, in chimneys or atop electricity poles.

The birds tend toward monogamy and display loyalty to their nests, parting ways with their partners to migrate, but rendezvousing in the same nest in the spring to reproduce.

That could explain why Yaren has roosted near Mr. Yilmaz’s house year after year, Mr. Donduren said.

Storks, which can live for more than 20 years in the wild and more than 30 in captivity, also have strong memories, enabling them to remember migration routes from as far north as Poland and Germany to destinations many thousands of miles south, as far as South Africa. It is unclear where Yaren spends his time after he leaves the village, but a tracker affixed to one of his offspring followed the bird over Syria, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic before it stopped working.

Over time, Yaren’s experiences with Mr. Yilmaz have probably become part of his memory, he said.

“Nature doesn’t have much space for emotions,” Mr. Donduren said. “For the stork, it is a matter of easy food. It thinks, There is an easy source of food here. This man seems safe. He doesn’t hurt me.”

Mr. Yilmaz’s explanation is much simpler.

“It is just to love an animal,” he said. “They are God’s creatures.”

One recent morning, Mr. Yilmaz rowed into the lake and pulled up his net, dropping small fish into the boat.

“Yaren!” he called.

The stork took flight, did a loop to surveil the boat and perched on a lamppost near the bank.

“Yaren!” Mr. Yilmaz called again.

The bird took flight again, finally alighting on the boat, where Mr. Yilmaz tossed him fish after fish.

After a while, the stork lifted off, glided around the village and returned to his nest.

“That’s it,” Mr. Yilmaz said with a satisfied smile. “He is full.”

Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey and the surrounding region. More about Ben Hubbard

Ivor Prickett is a photographer based in Istanbul. He covered the rise and fall of ISIS in Iraq and Syria while on assignment for The Times. More recently he has been working on stories related to the war in Ukraine. More about Ivor Prickett

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The two women's openweight boats on the rough water at Hammersmith Bridge during the Cambridge University Boat Race trials in December.

Do not enter the water: how dirty Boat Race has captured world’s attention

Sewage scandal has put extra focus on the race but enthusiasm is undimmed with Oxford favourites to end rivals’ dominance

T hroughout the Boat Race’s 195-year history, it has been regarded by the rest of the world as one of those peculiar British eccentricities, like Marmite and pantomime, that are best ignored. Not this year.

The New York Times, Fox News, ABC, CNN and numerous other international media have run stories in the buildup to Saturday’s race – although it is what is floating in the Thames, rather than on top of it, that has piqued their interest.

As Thursday’s New York Times put it: “The warning was stern: Do not enter the water. Not because of the tide. Not because of sharks. Because of the sewage.

“For almost two centuries, rowers from Oxford University have raced their rivals from Cambridge in a contest that typically ends with jubilant members of the victorious crew jumping into the River Thames in celebration. This year they will be staying as dry as possible.”

The discovery of high levels of E coli on the 4.25-mile course has not only further fuelled public anger at the deteriorating state of Britain’s rivers, but – as first revealed by the Guardian – also led organisers to issue tough new safety guidelines .

And according to Cambridge’s Carys Earl, a 21-year-old medicine undergraduate, everyone is taking those rules very seriously. “As soon as we get off the water – and before we touch any of our other kit or food – we immediately wash our hands,” she says. “We are also showering, covering cuts or bruises, and then making sure we’ve got fresh kit to get into. We’re constantly washing the boats and washing equipment as well.”

Meanwhile Oxford’s Annie Sharp, a 24-year-old who is studying for an MSc in water science, policy and management, has a professional as well as sporting interest in the gunk in the Thames. “The problem links back to the Victorian era,” she points out. “The sewage system was fantastic at the time, but it was built for a two million population. Now we have over 9.5 million.

A water sample taken from the River Thames around Hammersmith Bridge in West London. High levels of E.coli have been found along a stretch of the River Thames that will be used for the historic Oxbridge Boat Race.

“But there’s a really strong focus on innovation to make things better,” she says, pointing to new biofilter technology and different ideas to prevent nitrates leaching into the groundwater. “While for the River Thames, there is the Super Sewer, which will be finished this year. I was part of working on that previously, and I think it’s going to be really fantastic and transformative.”

But Earl’s and Sharp’s focus is mostly on Saturday afternoon when more than 250,000 people are expected to crowd the Thames for the 78th women’s and 169th men’s Boat Race. For Earl it has been some journey, given that she went to state school and stepped into a boat only when she arrived at Cambridge.

“My college put on a barbecue in Freshers’ Week and said anyone who’s interested can come down and get in the boat,” she says. “I thought it would be a bit of fun, and so I signed up for the novice programme. I absolutely loved it and it just sort of continued.”

Such has been Earl’s progress that she is now trying out for the British Under-23 squad. “It’s everybody’s dream to compete for a national team,” she says. “We’ve done erg tests, and my partner and I also went to the GB water trials where we came third overall, and first for the Under 23s, so we’ve now been invited back to the second round later in April. But for now all my focus is on Saturday’s race.”

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Earl will be sitting in the six seat, part of the engine room of Cambridge’s boat. But when she glances across at the start she will see Sharp, sitting in the same position for Oxford, confident of victory.

“We’ve got a lot of fantastic talent in our boat,” says Sharp, who is determined to win so she can tease her father, who rowed in the Isis (reserve) boat in 1990 but was disqualified at the bandstand. “We have six fantastic returnees. So people aren’t gonna be fazed by anything that happens in the race. Since day one we’ve really been building a fantastic boat and boat speed.”

Carys Earl of the Cambridge University Boat Club women’s blue boat looks towards head coach Paddy Ryan during a training session on the River Great Ouse on February 28th 2024.

The bookies agree with that assessment. Cambridge have won six straight in the women’s race, as well as four of the past five men’s races. However, Oxford are favourites this year in both events. But one randomising factor, according to Sharp, is the high water levels of the Thames this week, which have made conditions “definitely bumpy”.

Whatever happens, Earl says that the fact both Oxford and Cambridge have fused their men’s and women’s teams into one club over the past two years is further proof of the progress the women are making.

“There’s a lot better inclusivity and equality,” she says. “Getting to race on the Tideway on the same day as the men, as we have done since 2015, has been a gamechanger.”

  • The Boat Race

Most viewed

Russia-Ukraine latest: Putin signs conscription decree; Russia 'will certainly gain more land', Musk warns

Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign. Meanwhile, Elon Musk has said Russia "will certainly gain more land" and it was "a tragic waste of life for Ukraine to attack a larger army" in a statement on X.

Sunday 31 March 2024 16:56, UK

  • Putin signs conscription decree calling up 150,000 men 
  • Russia 'will certainly gain more land', Musk warns
  • Missiles and drones launched at Ukraine
  • Explained: How the war has strayed outside Ukraine's borders
  • Listen to the Daily podcast above and  tap here  to follow wherever you get your podcasts
  • Live reporting by Bhvishya Patel

We will be back soon with more updates on the war in Ukraine.

In the meantime, you can scroll back to read today's coverage. 

Pope Francis made a strong appeal for a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine in his Easter sermon today.

The pontiff delivered a heartfelt prayer for peace in his annual round-up of global crises delivered from St Peter's Square.

This year, Francis said his thoughts went particularly to people in Ukraine and Gaza and all those facing war, particularly the children who he said had "forgotten how to smile".

He said: "In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for the sake of all."

He also called for the "prompt" release of prisoners taken from Israel on 7 October, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for humanitarian access to reach Palestinians.

Russia is "adopting further preventative and defensive measures" in the Black Sea, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said in its latest update.

In its report, the ministry noted four barges had been spotted at the entrance to the Black Sea fleet facility in the Novorossiysk Sea port.

It said this was to "enhance the defences of the port" against Ukraine.

"Novorossiysk port now serves a crucial role in sheltering the Black Sea fleet's most valuable assets," the ministry said.

The update went on to say Russia's Black Sea fleet vice-admiral was likely seeking to improve the survival chances of Russian vessels by "adopting further preventative and defensive measures, including narrowing the entrance gap to port facilities".

The families of those killed in Bucha have commemorated them in a ceremony.

Mourners gathered with flowers at the city's cemetery today to pay their respects.

What happened in Bucha?

Bucha is a town roughly 16 miles northwest of Kyiv in the wider Kyiv region.

After Russian troops withdrew from Kyiv and the surrounding region, the scale of civilian casualties there was laid bare, with dead bodies and mass graves discovered there.

The images from Bucha prompted international condemnation.

A Russian cruise missile strike on infrastructure in Ukraine's western Lviv region has killed one man, officials have said.

The attack destroyed a building and sparked a fire, governor Maksym Kozytskyi wrote on Telegram.

Rescue operations are ongoing.

In the Kharkiv region, officials said an air attack killed an 19 year-old man after a projectile hit a petrol station.

Meanwhile, thousands in Ukraine's Odesa region are  temporarily left without power today after debris from a downed Russian drone caused a blaze at an energy facility.

Governor Oleh Kiper said 170,000 homes were left with temporary power outages as a result of the attack.

Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent days, causing significant damage in several regions.

France will deliver hundreds of old armoured vehicles and new surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu has said. 

In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche , Mr Lecornu said that President Emmanuel Macron, following talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had asked him to prepare a new aid package, which will include old but still functional French equipment.

"The Ukrainian army needs to defend a very long frontline, which requires armoured vehicles; this is absolutely crucial for troop mobility and is part of the Ukrainian requests," he said.

He said France was looking at providing hundreds of frontline troop carriers this year and early 2025.

Mr Lecornu added that France was also preparing to release a new batch of surface-to-air missiles.

He added: "Ukraine has an urgent need for better ground-air defence. Russia is intensifying its strikes, in particular on civilians and civil infrastructure."

The Russian air force has conducted a massive strike on energy and gas facilities in Ukraine, Russia's defence ministry has said.

The ministry said that it used "high-precision long-range air based weapons" and drones.

"As a result of this strike, the operation of defence industry enterprises involved in the manufacture and repair of weapons, equipment and ammunition has been disrupted," the ministry said.

"All the goals of the strike have been achieved. The assigned objects were hit."

Russia has conducted a counter-terrorism operation in the southern region of Dagestan today, detaining three people, the country's national anti-terrorism committee has said.

Russia is on high alert following a mass shooting at a concert hall in Moscow on 22 March - the deadliest attack in the country in 20 years, with at least 144 killed.

"Security agencies detained three bandits who were planning a number of terrorist offences," the committee said today.

"During the inspection of the places where the criminals were detained, automatic weapons, ammunition and an improvised explosive device ready for use were found."

Ukrainian troops have been firing self-propelled howitzers at Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Fighting is currently at a standstill with Russian forces having made small territorial gains.

The head of Ukraine's largest private energy firms DTEK has said that five of its six plants have been damaged or destroyed, with 80% of its generating capacity lost after two weeks of Russian attacks.

Russian missile and drone attacks hit thermal and hydro power plants in central and western Ukraine overnight on Friday.

And last night Volodymyr Zelenskiyy said Russia was carrying out "vile strikes" designed to cause the "bleeding" of Ukrainian energy.

Now, DTEK executive director Dmytro Sakharuk has said that waves of attacks on 22 March and 29 March had hit thermal and hydro production "in almost all regions" and that distribution facilities were destroyed.

"To be specific, five out of six of our stations were severely damaged, some units were destroyed, some were damaged by 50% or more," he said.

He went on to say that repairs could take up to 18 months.

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yachts for ukraine act

IMAGES

  1. Mega-Yacht Belonging To Ukrainian Oligarch Close To Putin Spotted Under

    yachts for ukraine act

  2. Massachusetts Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss sponsor ‘Yachts

    yachts for ukraine act

  3. Members of Congress support Yachts For Ukraine Act

    yachts for ukraine act

  4. Putin's point man in Ukraine buys $214-million yacht

    yachts for ukraine act

  5. Ukraine conflict: Russian oligarchs’ yachts seized in latest sanctions

    yachts for ukraine act

  6. Svinedyr oligark-yacht skiftede ejer på dagen for invasionen af Ukraine

    yachts for ukraine act

VIDEO

  1. BREAKING NEWS!: Sanctioned SuperYacht Solaris Owner!

  2. Russians 'Starve' While Oligarchs Buy New Yachts

  3. Royal Yacht Britannia to sail again?

  4. Two years the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. Peace rally Nashville Tennessee

  5. Billionaire Russian Superyachts Caught by Police

COMMENTS

  1. H.R.7187

    This Act may be cited as the "Yachts for Ukraine Act". SEC. 2. Authority to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. (a) In general.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President is authorized to take such actions as may be necessary to use the amounts described in subsection (b) to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

  2. Gallagher, Moulton, Meijer, Auchincloss Introduce Yachts For Ukraine Act

    WASHINGTON, D.C. --Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Seth Moulton (D-MA.), Peter Meijer (R-MI), and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) today introduced the Yachts for Ukraine Act, which would allow seized Russian assets to be repurposed for rebuilding Ukraine.As Russia's wealthiest attempt to wait out temporary seizure of their superyachts and mansions, this bill would ensure that the assets seized under the ...

  3. Congress Wants to Seize Russian Yachts and Sell for Ukraine Aid

    The "Yachts for Ukraine" Act would sell off seized goods to provide humanitarian aid and weapons for Ukraine's military. Menu icon A vertical stack of three evenly spaced horizontal lines.

  4. Whitehouse, Graham, Wilson, Cohen Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral

    Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), together with Representatives Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Steve Cohen (D-TN), introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act. The bill would allow the Department of Justice to seize high-value assets owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs more quickly through existing ...

  5. H.R. 7187 (117 th ): Yachts for Ukraine Act

    This Act may be cited as the Yachts for Ukraine Act. 2. Authority to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine (a) In general. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President is authorized to take such actions as may be necessary to use the amounts described in subsection (b) to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. (b) Amounts ...

  6. Yachts for Ukraine Act (2022

    A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law. Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number H.R. 7187. This is the one from the 117 th Congress. This bill was introduced in the 117 th Congress, which met from Jan 3, 2021 to Jan 3 ...

  7. 2 Democratic Congressman introduce 'Yachts for Ukraine' Act to direct

    2 Democratic congressmen introduce 'Yachts for Ukraine' Act to direct oligarch assets to aid Ukraine. Stella Maris yacht belonging to Rashid Sardarov is docked in Nice, France, Tuesday, March ...

  8. Give Seized Russian Assets to Ukraine as Reparations

    Give Seized Russian Assets to Ukraine as Reparations. By Lilly Blumenthal, Norman L. Eisen, and Robin Lewis. April 19, 20221:00 PM. The U.S. could sell this and give the money to victims of Russia ...

  9. Moulton and Auchincloss target oligarchs with 'Yachts for Ukraine Act'

    March 23, 2022. Two U.S. Representatives from Massachusetts are hoping to use seized Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild through the " Yachts for Ukraine Act .". "Some Russian oligarchs ...

  10. Summary of H.R. 7187 (117th): Yachts for Ukraine Act

    H.R. 7187 (117 th): Yachts for Ukraine Act React to this bill with an emoji Save your opinion on this bill on a six-point scale from strongly oppose to strongly support

  11. Seizing oligarchs' yachts is popular. But it may not be legal.

    Yachts for Ukraine Act. These issues could soon be before U.S. courts. Members of Congress are clamoring to sign on to the Yachts for Ukraine Act. The name alone is enough to produce a drooling ...

  12. Congressman Seth Moulton Introduces 'Yachts For Ukraine' Act

    Below is a press release from Congressman Seth Moulton's Office:. WASHINGTON, DC — Congressmen Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) have introduced the Yachts for Ukraine Act, which would allow seized Russian assets to be repurposed for rebuilding Ukraine.. As Russia's wealthiest attempt to wait out temporary seizure of ...

  13. PDF TH D CONGRESS SESSION H. R. 7187

    Ukraine. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 4 This Act may be cited as the ''Yachts for Ukraine 5 Act''. 6 SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN ASSIST-7 ANCE TO UKRAINE. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-

  14. Members of Congress support Yachts For Ukraine Act

    The Yachts for Ukraine Act is straight forward; those seized mansions and yachts are valuable and should be repurposed providing humanitarian aid and rebuilding Ukraine when the war ends. U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer said, "The United States must no longer turn a blind eye towards Russian oligarchs and any assets they have hidden in our country, I ...

  15. Reps. Moulton and Auchincloss sponsor 'Yachts for Ukraine Act' meant to

    Four U.S. representatives, two of whom represent Massachusetts and are both veterans, have sponsored legislation called the "Yachts for Ukraine Act," meant to target the assets of Russian ...

  16. Seth Moulton, Jake Auchincloss introduce 'Yachts for Ukraine' Act to

    Stella Maris yacht belonging to Rashid Sardarov is docked in Nice, France, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The boat is believed to be owned by Sardarov, a Russian billionaire oil and gas magnate not yet ...

  17. US Congress 2021-2022

    Yachts for Ukraine Act. This bill authorizes the President to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine by using the assets seized from sanctions on individuals who are oligarchs of Russia or senior foreign political figures of Russia. − Full Texts (2) − Actions (2) On March 21, 2022 in the House: ...

  18. Russian yachts stranded in choppy sanctions waters

    - The draft Yachts for Ukraine Act, recently introduced by members of the U.S. House of Representatives, would allow the United States to confiscate frozen assets such as yachts and sell them.

  19. Italy Seizes Yachts, Villas Worth $156 Million From Russian ...

    Since Friday, Italian officials have seized roughly $156 million in villas and luxury yachts owned by members of Putin's inner circle amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the AP. Among ...

  20. Seized Russian Oligarchs' Superyachts Are Still Stuck in Limbo

    In August 2021 — about six months before Russia's Ukraine invasion — Russians owned the second-largest share of yachts over 40 meters in length, according to a report from the industry ...

  21. Turning Sanctions into Reparations: Lessons for Russia/Ukraine

    The harm Ukraine has suffered from Russian attacks—whether measured in lives lost, property damage, or the disruption of economic activity—is many orders of magnitude greater than the value of the yachts, planes, real estate, and other private assets that the United States and its partners have seized from Russian elites.

  22. Questions for H.R. 7187 (117th): Yachts for Ukraine Act

    H.R. 7187 (117 th): Yachts for Ukraine Act React to this bill with an emoji Save your opinion on this bill on a six-point scale from strongly oppose to strongly support

  23. Defense spending bill has some Ukraine aid, multiyear munitions buys

    Congress released the text of the $825 billion FY24 defense spending bill, which includes some Ukraine aid and funding for multiyear munitions contracts.

  24. PolitiFact

    An X post claimed the captain of the container ship Dali that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge check "is a Ukrainian." The ship had a crew of 22 Indian nationals, according to a spokesperson for ...

  25. Ukraine says it hit two Russian warships in strikes on Crimea

    The Ukrainian military said it hit two large Russian landing ships in attacks on the annexed Crimean peninsula early on Sunday, as well as a communications centre and other infrastructure used by ...

  26. A Stork, a Fisherman and Their Unlikely Bond Enchant Turkey

    Thirteen years ago, a stork landed on a fisherman's boat looking for food. He has come back every year since, drawing national attention. Adem Yilmaz in his fishing boat with his stork companion ...

  27. Do not enter the water: how dirty Boat Race has captured world's

    T hroughout the Boat Race's 195-year history, it has been regarded by the rest of the world as one of those peculiar British eccentricities, like Marmite and pantomime, that are best ignored ...

  28. Russia-Ukraine latest: Putin signs conscription decree; Russia 'will

    The head of Ukraine's largest private energy firms DTEK has said that five of its six plants have been damaged or destroyed, with 80% of its generating capacity lost after two weeks of Russian ...