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Floating liabilities: Western authorities grapple with the cost of seizing oligarchs’ superyachts

May 19, 2022
Detaining luxury vessels worth hundreds of millions of dollars was the easy bit. Maintenance runs about 10% of the yachts' value.
Above, a superyacht with suspected links to a Russian oligarch is docked in the Dominican Republic. For governments, seizing the pricey vessels comes with outrageous maintenance costs.
Ethan Swope/Getty Images

Who are the Russian oligarchs being sanctioned, and how did they get so rich?

Mar 10, 2022
Their fates and fortunes are tied closely to Vladimir Putin's.
After Vladimir Putin became president, he helped fund the wealth of Russian oligarchs with state money. In return, oligarchs provided him money and loyalty.
Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Will the UK sanction Russian-owned assets over the Ukraine crisis?

Feb 15, 2022
The British government has threatened to freeze Russian oligarchs’ property in the U.K. if Russia invades Ukraine. Is the threat credible?
By one estimate, at least 150 luxury properties in the U.K. — $2 billion worth — are owned by Russians with links to the Kremlin.
Hollie Adams/Getty Images