President Putin moved his £75million superyacht three weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine to avoid having it seized as part of war sanctions, a new investigation has claimed. Secret documents released by Russian investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh, who heads the anti-corruption foundation set up by Alexei Navalny, show the Russian president had his yacht ‘Graceful’ sail from from Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad two weeks before the invasion. The documents show an email was sent by an employee of Russia’s largest shipping company, the SCF Group, to Blohm & Voss saying the owner of Graceful is unhappy with an on-going “refit” and wants the ship to sail out of the Hamburg port on February 1, 2022. The email does not provide any reason why the owner of the yacht was unhappy with the on-going “refit”, which added two new balconies to the vessel and extended the pool. “The owner is not happy with the retrofit. He is dissatisfied with the delays in the construction process,” the email says. “The owner wants the Graceful to be brought to the Russian Federation on February 1st (...). Please mobilise an uninterrupted crew – 2 shifts.’ The email, sent on January 19, 2022, adds: “Please accelerate all works which may interfere with Graceful sailing out on 01 February. “Please calculate the amount to be paid by Owners due to early departure. Crew and myself will provide full assistance to prepare Graceful for Towing.” According to investigators, Blohm & Voss was set to work on Graceful for another year to fix open holes in its surface. But the company was forced to cancel its work and get the ship ready to set sail in just 12 days. The yacht’s crew, based in Hamburg, were also forced to move out of their homes so they could move the vessel. Reports suggest the company did not meet the deadline of February 1, with pictures showing Graceful being towed out of Hamburg on February 7. Sanctions imposed by the UK, US, European Union and other allied nations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have seen Putin and his allied Oligarchs have their assets seized across the world, including numerous superyachts and houses. But president Putin was preparing for this eventuality by ordering Graceful - which has since been renamed Kosatka (Russian for ‘killer whale’) - to return to a friendly port well in advance, according to investigators. Graceful is alleged to have cost the Russian president 87 million euros (£75 million) and has a 50-foot indoor swimming pool that turns into a theatre and dance floor with the press of a button, a helipad, a gym, and a wine cave that can store 400 bottles. It also features a large library, spa and plunge pools and a cocktail bar. President Putin allegedly owns three yachts, however, his officials deny this. As well as Graceful, Mr Putin is alleged to own the Olympia, gifted to him by a top oligarch almost two decades ago, and the £550 million ‘floating palace’ Scheherazade - seized by the West. Read More Scheherazade: Giant £570m superyacht ‘owned by Vladimir Putin’ is seized by Italian authorities Vladimir Putin owns £500m superyacht moored in Italy, Alexei Navalny allies claim Wealthy Russian businessman loses fight over detained superyacht The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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Ukraine on Friday said its naval drones have destroyed two small Russian landing boats in Crimea, in an embarrassment for president Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian military intelligence said two amphibious Russian ships loaded with armoured vehicles had been hit by naval drones overnight. One of the boats has been identified as an Akula class vessel, while the other landing vessel was a Serna class. "The results of intelligence conducted on 10 November 2023 near Vuzka Bay in temporarily occupied Crimea show that after an attack by naval drones, two small Russian landing ships have been destroyed," a Ukraine military report said. "As a consequence of the attack, both vessels went to the bottom, the Akula straight away and the Serna after attempts to save it." Russia, which illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and has stationed its Black Sea Fleet in the region’s main city of Sevastopol, has not commented on the reported losses. The incident comes amid Russia's intensified attack on the key eastern Ukrainian frontline town of Avdiivka, where Moscow has amassed a force of 40,000 troops encircling the town for a fresh assault. One Ukrainian analyst described the loss of the Crimean ships as one of the biggest single setbacks for Mr Putin in the nearly 21-month war in Ukraine. "Boats like this are quite a significant loss," Andriy Ryzhenko, Ukrainian military analyst and reserve officer, told Radio NV. "They allowed for the transport of a tactical landing force and equipment relatively inconspicuously." Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said attacks on naval targets have dented Moscow's military strength in the area. Ukraine has been increasingly targeting Russia’s Black Sea fleet, stationed in Crimea. Last week, Ukraine claimed to have struck a new Russian missile carrier causing significant damage to the vessel. Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of Ukraine's air force, announced Ukraine had targeted the Zaliv shipyard in Crimea, conducting at least three strikes on the Askold vessel. In September, Ukraine destroyed state-of-the-art Russian air defences in Crimea and damaged two ships. Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, sank in the waters off Ukraine during the early days of the war in April 2022. Read More Ukraine’s global ‘peace summit’ deferred to next year amid war in Gaza Russia-Ukraine war: Putin’s forces ramp up Avdiivka assault as Kyiv strikes Crimea Analysis: Ukraine’s current frontline stalemate with Russia is hurting Kyiv Ramaswamy walks back moment he calls Zelensky ‘Nazi’ at GOP debate Ukraine moves step closer to EU membership as European Commission backs talks Hundreds gather at vigil held for Ukrainian soldiers killed in missile attack

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