From the 156-metre Dilbar in Germany to Sailing Yacht A in Italy and Phi in London, some of the world's most recognisable superyachts remain caught in sanctions, detention orders and ownership disputes.
From the 156-metre Dilbar in Germany to Sailing Yacht A in Italy and Phi in London, some of the world's most recognisable superyachts remain caught in an unprecedented web of sanctions, detention orders and ownership disputes.
Western governments began targeting luxury assets connected with sanctioned Russian individuals following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Superyachts quickly became the most visible symbols of the enforcement campaign. Authorities in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Fiji and other jurisdictions detained, froze or seized vessels reportedly connected with prominent Russian business figures.
However, the legal position is more complicated than the widely used phrase “seized Russian yachts” suggests.
Some yachts have been frozen under sanctions law and cannot be moved, sold or used. Others have been detained under national shipping legislation. A smaller number have been taken through criminal or civil forfeiture proceedings, while several ownership claims remain disputed.
Research reported in February 2026 estimated that 15 Russia-linked yachts impounded in European ports had lost approximately €580 million in collective value. Their estimated value was said to have fallen from around €3.5 billion, if properly maintained, to approximately €2.9 billion.
Built by Lürssen and delivered in 2016, Dilbar is one of the largest yachts in the world by internal volume.
German authorities legally immobilised the yacht in Hamburg in April 2022 after identifying its sanctioned registered owner as Gulbakhor Ismailova, the sister of businessman Alisher Usmanov.
The action prevents the vessel from being sold, chartered, transferred or used while the restrictions remain in force.
Location: Germany
Status: Frozen and legally immobilised
Builder: Lürssen
Length: 156 metres
The distinctive sail-assisted yacht was arrested by Italian authorities at Trieste in March 2022.
Italian authorities linked the vessel to sanctioned businessman Andrey Melnichenko. His representatives have disputed that he personally owns the yacht, stating that it is held through a trust structure.
A recent European legal ruling confirmed that sanctions concepts of ownership and control can extend to beneficiaries of trusts. The yacht remains under Italian control while related legal proceedings continue.
Location: Trieste, Italy
Status: Impounded
Builder: Nobiskrug
Length: 142.8 metres
The 140-metre Lürssen yacht Scheherazade was frozen by the Italian government at Marina di Carrara in May 2022.
The vessel's ultimate beneficial ownership has been the subject of extensive international reporting and remains disputed. Italian authorities imposed the measure after identifying links requiring action under European Union sanctions rules.
Location: Marina di Carrara, Italy
Status: Frozen
Builder: Lürssen
Length: 140 metres
Spanish authorities detained Crescent at Tarragona in March 2022 while investigating its ownership.
The yacht has been publicly linked to sanctioned Rosneft chief executive Igor Sechin, although complex corporate ownership structures have made the beneficial-ownership position difficult to establish conclusively.
Location: Tarragona, Spain
Status: Detained
Builder: Lürssen
Length: Approximately 135.5 metres
Amadea was seized in Fiji in May 2022 following a request from the United States.
US authorities alleged that the yacht was beneficially owned by sanctioned businessman Suleiman Kerimov and that payments connected with its operation and maintenance violated American sanctions laws.
Former Rosneft executive Eduard Khudainatov claimed ownership, but a US judge rejected his attempt to intervene in the forfeiture proceedings in March 2025. The yacht was subsequently reported sold through a US auction process later that year.
Former detention location: San Diego, United States
Status: Seized, forfeiture proceedings completed and subsequently sold
Builder: Lürssen
Length: 106.1 metres
The Feadship superyacht Royal Romance was detained in Croatia after being linked to Ukrainian businessman and politician Viktor Medvedchuk.
Ukrainian authorities pursued confiscation proceedings, and the yacht was transferred into Ukrainian state ownership. In 2025, arrangements were reported for the vessel to be moved temporarily within Croatia for essential technical maintenance.
Location: Croatia
Status: Seized and transferred to Ukrainian state ownership
Builder: Feadship
Length: Approximately 92.1 metres
French customs officers seized Amore Vero at La Ciotat on 2 March 2022.
French authorities linked the yacht to a company controlled by Igor Sechin. The vessel had been undergoing scheduled work, but officials said it was preparing to leave before those works had been completed.
Location: La Ciotat, France
Status: Seized by French customs
Builder: Oceanco
Length: 85.6 metres
The Lürssen yacht formerly known as Valerie was detained in Barcelona in March 2022.
Spanish authorities connected the vessel with sanctioned Rostec chief executive Sergey Chemezov and later pursued formal seizure action. The yacht has subsequently been identified as Meridian A.
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Status: Detained and subject to seizure action
Builder: Lürssen
Length: 85.1 metres
Alfa Nero was detained in Antigua and Barbuda after being linked by authorities to sanctioned Russian businessman Andrey Guryev.
The yacht was later declared abandoned and taken into state possession. It was eventually sold, although the process generated prolonged litigation concerning ownership, maintenance costs and the legality of the sale.
Former detention location: Antigua and Barbuda
Status: Seized and subsequently sold
Builder: Oceanco
Length: 81.3 metres
Tango was seized in Mallorca in April 2022 by Spanish authorities acting on a request from the United States.
The US Department of Justice identifies the yacht as belonging to sanctioned businessman Viktor Vekselberg. American prosecutors have also brought charges alleging sanctions evasion and money laundering connected with the yacht's ownership and operation.
Location: Mallorca, Spain
Status: Seized at the request of the United States
Builder: Feadship
Length: 77.7 metres
Axioma was arrested in Gibraltar in March 2022 following a claim by lender JP Morgan against its owning company.
The vessel was linked to sanctioned businessman Dmitry Pumpyansky. Unlike many yachts held directly under government sanctions measures, Axioma was sold by court-supervised auction in September 2022 to satisfy creditor claims.
Former detention location: Gibraltar
Status: Arrested and subsequently sold at auction
Builder: Dunya Yachts
Length: 72 metres
Lady M was frozen by Italian authorities at Imperia in March 2022.
The yacht has been linked to sanctioned Russian steel and mining businessman Alexey Mordashov and remains one of several vessels held in Italy under sanctions-related restrictions.
Location: Imperia, Italy
Status: Frozen
Builder: Palmer Johnson
Length: 64 metres
The United Kingdom detained Phi at Canary Wharf in London in March 2022 under powers introduced through the UK's Russia sanctions regime.
Phi differs from many other cases because its Russian owner, Sergei Naumenko, was not himself a designated or sanctioned person when the detention was ordered.
The UK Supreme Court dismissed an appeal against the detention in July 2025, leaving the government's restriction in place.
Location: London, United Kingdom
Status: Detained
Builder: Royal Huisman
Length: 58.5 metres
Lady Anastasia was detained by Spanish authorities in Mallorca in March 2022 after being publicly linked to Alexander Mikheev, chief executive of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
The yacht had already attracted international attention after a crew member attempted to damage and partially sink it shortly after the invasion of Ukraine.
Location: Mallorca, Spain
Status: Detained
Builder: Sensation Yachts
Length: 47.7 metres
Italian authorities froze Lena at Sanremo in March 2022.
The yacht was identified as an asset belonging to sanctioned businessman Gennady Timchenko.
Location: Sanremo, Italy
Status: Frozen
Builder: Sanlorenzo
Length: 40.8 metres
A yacht frozen under sanctions generally remains the property of its existing owner.
The restriction usually prevents the yacht from being moved, operated, chartered, sold or transferred without government authorisation. It does not automatically transfer ownership to the state.
Detention is also different from permanent confiscation. Governments may restrict a vessel's movement while investigations or legal proceedings continue, without having acquired ownership of the yacht.
Permanent forfeiture normally requires a separate court process establishing that the asset is connected with a criminal offence, sanctions violation or another legal basis for confiscation.
This distinction explains why relatively few of the yachts detained since 2022 have been successfully sold.
Superyachts are complex vessels that require continuous professional maintenance, regular haul-outs, machinery operation, class surveys and specialist technical support.
Keeping a large yacht stationary for several years can cause significant deterioration. Engines, generators, fuel systems, water systems, stabilisers, electronics, hull coatings and interiors can all suffer when normal operational and maintenance cycles are interrupted.
The reported €580 million reduction in the value of 15 impounded yachts illustrates the financial consequences of prolonged detention.
Governments also face difficult questions over who should pay for security, berthing, insurance, crew, technical maintenance and emergency repairs.
A number of other major yachts have been associated with sanctioned Russian individuals but have not been detained by Western authorities.
These include yachts that moved to jurisdictions not enforcing European Union, UK or US sanctions, as well as vessels whose legal ownership is held through offshore companies, trusts or relatives.
Being linked to a sanctioned individual does not itself mean that a yacht has been seized, detained or found to have been involved in illegal activity.
Four years after the first major detention actions, many Russia-linked superyachts remain immobilised.
The cases have exposed the complexity of beneficial ownership in the international yachting sector and the practical limits of sanctions enforcement against assets held through layered corporate and trust structures.
They have also created an expanding maintenance problem. As legal disputes continue, some of the world's most technically advanced and valuable yachts remain stationary, deteriorating and increasingly expensive to preserve.
This article was updated on 18 June 2026. Legal status and ownership information may change as sanctions, appeals, forfeiture proceedings and vessel sales continue. Superyacht Guide uses “linked” where ownership has been alleged or identified by authorities but remains disputed or has not been finally established by a court.