The yacht Graceful, which has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is now in the port of Severomorsk near Murmansk. This was reported by the Danish broadcaster DK.
DK says the vessel and the military ship Voevoda, which was part of the convoy escorting the yacht, can be seen in satellite images of the port taken on July 5. According to the broadcaster, Voevoda was traveling with its transponder switched off, but briefly turned it on about 70 kilometers from Severomorsk.
In late June, Graceful and the ships accompanying it were spotted off the coast of Denmark. The convoy sent a message saying it was allegedly heading for Istanbul. DK reports, however, that it later passed along the Norwegian coast and continued toward Russian waters.
Experts interviewed by DK believe the yacht, renamed Kosatka after the start of the war, may have been sent to Severomorsk to protect it from Ukrainian drone attacks. One source said repairs could also be a possible reason, but described the drone-protection explanation as more plausible.
The 82-meter Graceful is considered the second-largest yacht used by the Russian president, after the 140-meter Scheherazade. It had previously been seen several times in Sochi when Putin was there.
Different estimates put the yacht’s value at $100 million to $120 million. It was also previously reported that three billion rubles were spent on Putin’s yacht during the war.