Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov's nearly $600 million yacht has been seized by German authorities in Hamburg as a direct result of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Forbes reports.
The move comes a day after the European Union froze the 68-year-old's assets and issued him a travel ban, saying that Usmanov ''actively supported materially or financially Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine.''
He is one of several Russian oligarchs close to Putin targeted across Europe due to the war.
Vladimir Potanin, one of the richest men in Russia and a Guggenheim Museum donor for decades, stepped down from the museum's board earlier Wednesday in light of the invasion.
Petr Aven, another prominent Russian businessman, on the same day stepped down as a trustee at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Valery Gergiev, the Russian maestro and chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, was removed from his post earlier this week after he refused to denounce Putin's actions.
Two Russian oligarchs have called for an end to the Ukraine war: Oleg Deripaska, previously Russia's richest man, and Mikhail Fridman, who was born in Ukraine but has been closely linked to Putin's inner circle.
''Peace is the priority. Negotiations must start ASAP,'' Deripaska tweeted
Fridman, who was born in Ukraine, called for the ''bloodshed to end.''
On Tuesday, in his first State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden warned Russia's billionaires and business elite that the U.S. and its allies would ''find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets'' in retaliation for the invasion.
''We're coming for your ill-begotten gains,'' he said.
The Department of Justice on Wednesday launched a task force aimed at enforcing the sanctions against Russia.
The task force, dubbed KleptoCapture, will ensure the full effect of the sanctions, designed to isolate Russia from global markets and impose serious costs for Putin's actions, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday.
KleptoCapture will also focus on making sure that corrupt Russian oligarchs are held accountable.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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