A £500million superyacht owned by billionaire Alisher Usmanov has been seized amid an EU crackdown on oligarchs with alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The 512-foot Dilbar, regarded as one of the largest motor yacht in the world, was seized by German authorities in Hamburg on Monday.
The seizure comes after Usmanov, an Uzbekistan-born billionaire with Russia citizenship, was sanctioned by the European Union in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Usmanov was, until recently, a key backer of Everton Football Club and is a business partner of Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
His companies provided the Premier League side with key sponsorship deals. But yesterday the Merseyside club confirmed it had suspended all commercial and sponsorship arrangements with Russian companies following the invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement was made as Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich revealed he was selling his west London club after nearly 20 years following criticism of his alleged links to Putin.
Abramovich vehemently denies he is close to the Kremlin or has done anything that would merit sanctions being imposed against him. Usmanov meanwhile has says his sanctioning by the EU is ‘unfair’ and that the reasons to justify the sanctions are ‘false and defamatory’.
Neither Abramovich or Usmanov have faced sanctions in the UK, despite calls by MPs for the Government to impose their own measures.
Completely shrouded, the mega-yacht Dilbar lies in the Blohm Voss Dock Elbe 17 in the harbour
Sanctioned Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s megayacht has been seized by German authorities, it has been reported
The move is part of an asset freeze on Usmanov, 68, (pictured right with Putin at the Kremlin in 2018) after he was sanctioned by the EU in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The Dilbar, with an estimated value of £500million, remains at shipyards in the northern city of Hamburg where it has been for a refitting job since late October.
Dilbar was custom-built for Usmanov by German shipbuilder Lürssen and took 52 months to finish.
She is one of the world’s largest yachts by volume and can hold over 100 passengers and crew in 58 cabins.
The yacht is part of Usmanov’s multibillion pound fortune, which spans stakes in iron ore and steel giant Metalloinvest and consumer electronics firm Xiaomi, as well as holdings in telecom, mining and media.
Usmanov, an oligarch with links to Vladimir Putin, was on Monday added to a list of sanctioned individuals by the European Union.
The move is part of an asset freeze on Usmanov after he was sanctioned in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However Usmanov hit back at the EU in a statement on the website of the International Fencing Federation, of which he is president.
He wrote: ‘On 28 February 2022 I became the target of restrictive measures imposed by the European Union.
‘I believe that such a decision is unfair, and the reason is employed to justify the sanctions are a set of false and defamatory allegations damaging my honour, dignity, and business reputation.
‘I would use all legal means to protect my owner and reputation.’
Despite calls from MPs, including Labour’s Dame Margaret Hodge and Chris Bryant, Usmanov has not yet been given sanctions in the UK.
Usmanov has several interests in Britain, and until this week had a sponsorship deal with Everton FC, which has since been suspended.
He is a business partner of Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, the pair’s relationship dating back to before the Iranian billionaire took a controlling stake in the club in February 2016. Moshiri is yet to make any comment about the situation.
But Everton – who made clear their anti-war stance before Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City – yesterday said they were aware of the scrutiny they are under and had put a stop to their links with the three companies that Usmanov has stakes in.
USM had sponsored the club’s Finch Farm training base since signing a five-year deal in 2017 but the process is now underway to remove all branding from the facility.
USM also paid £30million in January 2020 with the option of securing naming rights for Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Megafon have huge branding on the back of the Park End Stand but, again, the club will start the process of removing it; Everton’s women’s team will also have Megafon removed from the front of their jerseys.
The ambition is to have all branding around Goodison Park removed before the next Premier League home game against Wolves on March 14. Everton face Boreham Wood in the FA Cup fifth round on Thursday.
In a statement, the club said: ‘Everyone at Everton remains shocked and saddened by the appalling events unfolding in Ukraine.
‘This tragic situation must end as soon as possible, and any further loss of life must be avoided.
‘The players, coaching staff and everyone working at Everton is providing full support to our player Vitalii Mykolenko and his family and will continue to do so.
‘The Club can confirm that it has suspended with immediate effect all commercial sponsorship arrangements with the Russian companies USM, Megafon and Yota.’
As recently as 2018, 68-year-old Usmanov had a 30 per cent stake in Arsenal FC but sold out to American owner Stan Kroenke.
He also owns Beechwood House in the Highgate area of north London and Sutton Place in Surrey – collectively worth over £200million.
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov (above) is a major backer of Everton Football Club
Until this week, Usmanov had a sponsorship deal with Everton FC, which has since been suspended
USM put their name to Everton’s Finch Farm training ground and are a commercial partner
It comes as fellow oligarch Abramovich began a ‘fire sale’ of his sprawling London portfolio. He is trying to offload Chelsea FC for £3billion and £200million worth of properties.
One MP yesterday claimed the Russian billionaire was acting quickly to stop his assets being frozen.
Labour’s Chris Bryant, using parliamentary privilege to avoid legal action, alleged the tycoon planned to sell his home and an apartment because he is ‘terrified of being sanctioned’, adding that he feared the government will soon run out of time to act.
Abramovich is worth 10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a £150m Kensington mansion, a £22m penthouse, and more than £1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars based in Britain and around the world.
Chelsea FC is his most valuable British asset, after the oligarch transformed its fortunes from outside challengers to Premier League giants with the help of Jose Mourinho and huge signings like Didier Drogba, so its sale will be a personal blow to the billionaire industrialist.
Yesterday, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer pressed the Prime Minister on why Abramovich has not been sanctioned, claiming he had ‘links to the Russian state’ and ‘public association with corrupt activity and practices’.
Mr Johnson said it is not ‘appropriate’ for him to comment on individual cases. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has previously said she has a ‘hit list’ of oligarchs they are targeting, but has not named all of them.
Abramovich is worth 10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a £150m Kensington mansion, a £22m penthouse, and more than £1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars based in Britain and around the world
Abramovich posing with the Champions League trophy in Porto last year with his sons Aaron (left) and Arkadiy
Kremlin-linked billionaires are also facing fresh threats of asset seizures from the US, with Joe Biden using his State of the Union address to say America was coming to ‘seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets’.
Abramovich has never held UK citizenship, and made his fortune selling assets purchased from the state when the USSR broke up. He vehemently denies being close to the Kremlin or doing anything that would merit sanctions.
Immigration officials are reportedly under pressure to prevent him basing himself in the UK. Scrutiny from MPs, and his status as the Britain’s best known Russian oligarch, makes him all the more vulnerable.
Abramovich has seven children from two of his ex-wives. The eldest, Anna, 29, is a Columbia University philosophy graduate who lives in New York, while Arkadiy, 27, is an industrial tycoon with substantial oil and gas investments.
Sofia, 26, lives in London and the ‘wild child’ ‘of the family, recently posted a message on Instagram attacking Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine. Less is known about Arina, 20, and Ilya, 18, or Aaron, 11 and Leah Lou, 7, who were both born in New York to his third wife, Dasha.
Abramovich’s current location is unknown, but he has recently been in Belarus ‘trying to help’ negotiate an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine following its illegal invasion of the country.
The conflict entered its eight day today, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warning Russia was seeking to erase Ukraine and its people after officials said 2,000 civilians had been killed.
