Will Medvedchuk's yacht sail to its owner?

This and other questions concerning the assets of Ukrainian oligarchs and Russian associates are answered by Tetiana Khutor, Head of the Institute of Investigative Reporting for "Суспільне Новини".

As a reminder, the Royal Romance yacht, owned by former MP Viktor Medvedchuk, was arrested by the Croats in early 2022. The yacht is worth €130 million and was seized by Ukrainian law enforcement officers as part of criminal proceedings. This made it possible to detain the expensive yacht in a Croatian port and start the procedure for its sale.

However, after two years, the Croatian court lifted the arrest from the yacht. The main reason for this decision was the lack of necessary documents on the part of the Ukrainian side, in particular, an indictment. Tatyana Khutor notes that the Ukrainian side failed to provide documents in time to extend the arrest. Nevertheless, the yacht will not leave the port due to the existing sanctions instruments, and the sale of the yacht is currently suspended.

However, according to the Head of the IPI, this situation demonstrates the need for the Ukrainian side to be much more active and responsible if we want to get real money from the sale of seized assets of Ukrainian corrupt officials and Russian associates abroad.

"It is very important to resume cooperation and intensify the work of law enforcement agencies to provide our international partners with all the necessary information and documents for effective arrests promptly. This will allow Ukraine to get real money from the assets of oligarchs and Russian henchmen abroad,’ concludes Tetiana Khutor.