the hunt for russian super yachts

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A game of cat and mouse with Russia's superrich oligarchs.

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Here are the superyachts seized from Russian oligarchs

As part of an international pressure campaign on Russia, authorities from around the world have seized more than a half-dozen superyachts belonging to billionaire oligarchs allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The yacht seizures since the Feb. 24 invasion are "just the beginning," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in March, as an international task force worked to identify further assets that can be seized or frozen.

“The Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said of the ongoing efforts in May.

Here are the superyachts government officials have seized since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

Image: The Amadea anchored at a pier in Pasatarlasi on Feb. 18, 2020 in Bodrum, Turkey.

The Justice Department announced May 5 that the Fijian government had seized billionaire oligarch Suleiman Kerimov 's 348-foot yacht Amadea. The vessel, which is valued at more than $300 million , arrived in Fiji last month. Kerimov, who's worth an estimated $14 billion and has ties to the Russian government, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department over alleged money laundering in 2018.

Special features on the sprawling yacht include a helipad, infinity pool, a jacuzzi and multiple bars, according to a report in Boat International . It can accommodate 16 overnight guests in addition to 36 crew members, the report said.

Tango yacht in Marmaris, Turkey on April 19, 2014.

In April, Spanish law-enforcement officials seized a 255-foot yacht called the Tango, which Justice Department says is owned by oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg is an aluminum magnate who the Treasury Department says has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Tango is worth an estimated $90 million, prosecutors said , and Vekselberg allegedly purchased it through shell companies. The 11-year-old yacht has seven staterooms and reportedly includes amenities such as a pool, gym and beauty salon .

Detained Superyachts Of Sanctioned Russian Billionaires

Authorities in Italy seized a 215-foot superyacht called the Lady M this month. It's owned by Alexei Mordashov, Russia's richest businessman, and it’s estimated to be worth $27 million . The vessel, which requires a crew of 14, has six guest cabins , a pool and a gym.

But it pales in comparison to another of Mordashov's yachts, the $500 million Nord . The 464-foot vessel, which has two helipads and a waterfall and can accommodate 36 guests, was anchored this month in the Seychelles, where the U.S. and European Union sanctions don’t apply.

Image: The yacht "Lena", belonging to Gennady Timchenko, an oligarch close to Russian President, in the port of San Remo on on March 5, 2022 .

Italian officials also seized the 132-foot superyacht Lena, owned by the energy magnate Gennady Timchenko. Estimated to be worth $8 million, it has five cabins and can accommodate 10 guests.

The "SY A" yacht, owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, seized by Italian authorities

SY A — short for Sailing Yacht A — is one of the world's largest superyachts. Valued at over $440 million, the 469-foot vessel, owned by the fertilizer magnate Andrey Melnichenko, has eight decks, multiple elevators, an underwater observation area and the world's tallest masts . It was seized in the Italian port of Trieste.

Image: The 85m long yacht "Valerie", linked to Rostec defense firm chief Sergei Chemezov, moored in the port of Barcelona, on March 15, 2022.

Authorities in Spain seized Sergei Chemezov's Valerie, a 279-foot superyacht that had been moored in Barcelona. Chemezov , a former KGB officer, heads the state conglomerate Rostec. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez touted the seizure on La Sexta television. “We are talking about a yacht that we estimate is worth $140 million,” Sanchez said.

Image: Amore Vero, a yacht owned by a company linked to Igor Sechin, chief executive of Russian energy giant Rosneft, in a shipyard in La Ciotat, near Marseille, southern France, on March 3, 2022.

Officials in France announced this month that they had seized the 289-foot Amore Vero, which was undergoing repairs in a shipyard near Marseille. When they arrived, authorities said, they found the crew preparing for an urgent departure, even though the repair work was scheduled to last through April. The $120 million boat, which has seven cabins , is linked to Igor Sechin, described by the U.S. Treasury Department as a close ally of Putin's.

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

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From yachts to lavish estates, tracking Russian assets seized so far

By Tal Yellin , CNN

Published April 13, 2022

Updated April 27, 2022

Countries are on the hunt for sanctioned Russian assets after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Thousands of Russians have since been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, among others. Superyachts and multimillion-dollar properties have already been seized or frozen by authorities in Italy, France, Spain, the UK and Gibraltar. The United States has also launched KleptoCapture, a task force focused on those who violate sanctions and the seizing of their assets.

This interactive will continue to track known developments and help show where sanctioned Russians park their money outside of Russia. Except for Igor Sechin and Sergei Chemezov, no other oligarchs or related persons mentioned in this story responded to requests for comment from CNN.

Real estate

Other assets

April 14, 2022

“dilbar” linked to alisher usmanov valued at $600-$750 million in hamburg, germany.

Germany has impounded the “Dilbar,” a superyacht connected to a Russian oligarch in Hamburg, the country’s embassy in the US tweeted . The yacht belongs to the sister of Alisher Usmanov and is worth between $600 to $750 million, according to the German Federal Criminal Police Office. Usmanov is one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires with vast domestic and international holdings. The US government sanctioned him in early March in a campaign targeting Putin’s allies, stating Usmanov is alleged to have “financial ties” to Putin. In March, Italy’s financial police seized his real estate and assets worth about $90 million. Usmanov has also been sanctioned by the European Union.

April 12, 2022

Assets linked to roman abramovich valued at over $7 billion in jersey.

Authorities in the Channel island of Jersey froze more than $7 billion worth of assets “suspected to be connected to” Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, according to a government statement . The frozen assets are either located in Jersey or owned by Jersey incorporated entities, the statement said. The States of Jersey Police also executed search warrants on premises “connected to the business activities” of Abramovich. Abramovich made his fortune in steel and investments and was sanctioned by the UK in March, citing his decades-long relationship with Vladimir Putin. In a statement at the time , the UK government noted that “he is one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin.” These frozen assets represent around half his net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index .

April 11, 2022

Properties linked to nikita mazepin valued at $114.3 million in sardinia, italy.

A real estate compound, “Rocky Ram,” linked to Nikita Mazepin and his oligarch father Dmitry was seized in Sardinia, the Italian financial police confirmed in a statement. The police said the properties are worth 105 million euros (about $114.3 million). Nikita, a former Formula 1 Haas team driver, and his father were included on a list of individuals sanctioned by the EU in early March. The sanction list described Mazepin Sr. as “a member of the closest circle of Vladimir Putin” saying he and 36 other ”businesspeople” met with Putin and other government officials to discuss how sanctions would affect Russia. In early March, Mazepin Sr. sold his controlling stake in Uralchem Group, one of the largest producers of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers in Russia, and resigned as CEO from Uralchem JSC, a subsidiary, according to a company statement .

April 7, 2022

Assets linked to sanctioned russians valued at $7.83 billion in switzerland.

Switzerland has so far frozen 7.5 billion Swiss francs (about $7.83 billion) of sanctioned Russian assets, according to a State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) spokesperson. The number of frozen assets increased from March 24, when 5.75 billion Swiss francs (about $6.18 billion) were initially frozen. Frozen assets include 11 properties throughout Switzerland. No identifiable information was revealed and no specific assets were mentioned in the initial statement. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland broke from traditional neutrality and adopted EU sanctions.

April 5, 2022

Assets linked to sanctioned russians valued at $3 billion in belgium.

Belgian authorities have frozen $3 billion in Russian assets and blocked $215 billion in transactions since the start of economic sanctions, according to Belgian Minister of Finance Vincent Van Peteghem. The frozen assets belong to 877 individuals and 62 entities on the European sanctions list, according to the statement from the Belgian Finance Ministry. The blocked transactions are the result of other restrictions imposed by the European Union on Russia.

April 4, 2022

“tango” linked to viktor vekselberg valued at $90 million in mallorca, spain.

Spanish authorities seized a superyacht named “Tango,” which they say is owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg in Mallorca, according to a statement from the Spanish Civil Guard. The detained yacht was part of an operation with US federal agents and was carried out under a Spanish court order, the statement said. Vekselberg runs the Russian investment company Renova Group. He is worth approximately $16.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He was sanctioned by the United States and is “under investigation for tax fraud, money laundering and document forgery trying to hide the ownership of this superyacht to avoid sanctions” and is “very close to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” the Spanish Civil Guard said. Vekselberg’s case marks the first seizure for the newly formed US task force, KleptoCapture. The yacht is 78 meters long (about 256 feet) and is valued at nearly $90 million, per the US Department of Justice.

March 29, 2022

“phi” linked to a russian businessman valued at $50 million in london, england.

The United Kingdom detained the “Phi” yacht belonging to an unnamed-Russian businessman with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime, according to the UK Department for Transport. The Dutch-built vessel is docked in East London’s Canary Wharf for the superyacht awards, and was planning to depart March 29. The Department of Transport claims that the ownership of the boat was “deliberately well hidden.” It sails under the Maltese flag and is registered to a company based in the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. The 192-foot yacht is worth approximately £38 million (about $50 million).

March 23, 2022

Assets linked to sanctioned russians valued at $800 million in france.

French authorities have frozen assets linked to sanctioned Russian oligarchs valued at $800 million, according to French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal. The European Union’s latest round of sanctions in early March against Russia included measures targeting 160 oligarchs and Russian politicians. “There will be no taboo if we need to go further,” Attal said about any additional sanctions.

March 22, 2022

Assets linked to sanctioned russians valued at $431 million in the netherlands.

The Netherlands has frozen nearly 392 million euros (about $431 million) in Russian assets, the Dutch Ministry of Finance told parliament in a letter seen by CNN. The ministry said that further asset freezes were expected. The European Union’s latest round of sanctions in early March against Russia included measures targeting 160 oligarchs and Russian politicians.

March 21, 2022

“axioma” linked to dmitry pumpyansky valued at $75 million in gibraltar.

Authorities in Gibraltar have detained the “Axioma” yacht linked to Russian billionaire Dmitry Pumpyansky, according to UK and Gibraltar government statements. Pumpyansky was sanctioned by the EU and UK and was the beneficiary of TMK PAO, Russia’s largest oil and gas steel pipe maker. He also resigned from the TMK PAO’s board of directors, the company announced . The 240-foot yacht is worth approximately $75 million, according to SuperYachtFan . Gibraltar’s ports had been closed to sanctioned individuals, but the Captain of the Port made an exception after JPMorgan Chase was granted a court order authorizing the seizure. “JPMorgan is acting pursuant to its mortgage rights,” the Gibraltar government said in a statement to CNN. JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, said in a statement in early March it was getting out of Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, citing “compliance with directives by governments around the world.”

March 18, 2022

Real estate linked to alexey mordaschov valued at $116 million in sardinia, italy.

The Italian financial police seized a real estate complex belonging to Russian billionaire Alexey Mordaschov in Sardinia, according to Italy’s Prime Minister’s office. Mordaschov is the chairman of Russian mining and steel company Severstal and is one of Russia’s richest men, worth $18.5 billion, according to Forbes . The frozen real estate is worth around 105 million euros (about $116 million), per Ferdinando Giugliano, the media advisor to the Italian Prime Minister. On March 4, Mordaschov’s yacht, named “Lady M” was also seized in Italy. The 213-foot yacht is worth approximately 65 million euros (about $71 million).

March 16, 2022

“crescent” linked to an unknown owner valued at $600 million in tarragona, spain.

Spanish authorities have detained a superyacht, named “Crescent” in the port of Tarragona, according to a statement from Spain’s Ministry for Transport. The 135-meter yacht flies a Cayman Islands flag and has been “provisionally detained” to establish whether it is the possession of a person or entity included in the European Council’s package of sanctions, the statement said. The yacht cost approximately $600 million, according to SuperYachtFan.

Real estate linked to Petr Aven valued at $4.4 million in Sardinia, Italy

The Italian financial police froze a real estate complex belonging partially to Russian oligarch Petr Aven in Sardinia, according to a statement issued by Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s press office. The share of real estate is worth approximately 4 million euros (about $4.4 million), according to the Italian Prime Minister’s office. The billionaire stepped down earlier this month as Director of Russian private bank Alfa Bank and from the board of the investment firm he co-founded, LetterOne, after being sanctioned by the EU and UK . The European Union named Aven as “one of Vladimir Putin’s closest oligarchs,” who “regularly meet” with the Russian President in the Kremlin, and “does not operate independently of the President’s demands.”

Real estate and vehicles linked to Alisher Usmanov valued at $72 million in Italy

Real estate assets and six corporate vehicles belonging to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov were seized by the Italian financial police. The seized assets are worth approximately 66 million euros (about $72 million). Usmanov is one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires with vast domestic and international holdings. The US government sanctioned him in early March in a campaign targeting Putin’s allies, stating he is alleged to have financial ties to Putin. Italy’s financial police had previously seized his real estate in the Golfo del Pevero area in Arzachena on March 4. Those assets are worth approximately 17 million euros (about $18 million).

March 15, 2022

“lady anastasia” linked to alexander mikheev valued at $7 million in palma de mallorca, spain.

Spanish authorities have detained a yacht linked to Russian oligarch Alexander Mikheev, named “Lady Anastasia,” in the port of Palma de Mallorca, according to the Spanish Ministry of Transport. Mikheev is the CEO of Rosoboronexport, the only state organization in Russia that exports weapons and was sanctioned by the EU and the US. The yacht is nearly 48 meters (157 feet) long and was in the news in late February, when a crew member tried to sink the vessel in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The yacht is worth approximately $7 million, according to a listing on BOAT International.

“Valerie” linked to Sergei Chemezov valued at $140 million in Barcelona, Spain

Spanish authorities seized the “Valerie” yacht reportedly linked to Russian oligarch and former KGB agent Sergei Chemezov in the port of Barcelona, according to Reuters . Chemezov is the chairman of the Rostec conglomerate and a member of the Supreme Council of ‘United Russia’, per EU sanctions . When the US sanctioned Chemezov in 2014 — as part of an effort targeting Putin’s inner circle — the government said he had known Putin since the 1980s and the two lived in the same apartment complex in East Germany. The yacht is worth approximately $140 million and will remain “provisionally immobilized” until authorities can determine its ownership. A spokesman for Chemezov denied that he is tied to the yacht.

March 11, 2022

“sailing yacht a” linked to andrey melnichenko valued at $577 million in trieste, italy.

The Italian financial police seized “Sailing Yacht A” — which could be linked to Russian fertilizer and coal billionaire Andrey Melnichenko — in the port of Trieste, according to Ferdinando Giugliano, the media advisor to the Italian Prime Minister. Melnichenko was sanctioned by the EU on March 9 and has since removed himself from the boards of two companies he founded, Eurochem and SUEK, according to his spokesman Alex Andreev in a statement to CNN. At 469 feet long, the vessel is also the world’s tallest sailing yacht — taller than the Statue of Liberty — and is worth approximately 530 million euros (about $577 million).

March 4, 2022

“villa lazzareschi” linked to oleg savchenko valued at $3.3 million in lucca, italy.

A 17th century villa allegedly owned by Oleg Savchenko, named “Villa Lazzareschi,” was seized by Italian financial police in the province of Lucca, according to a police statement . Savchenko is a member of the State Duma and was sanctioned by the EU. The seized Italian villa is worth approximately 3 million euros (about $3.3 million).

Real estate linked to Vladimir Soloviev valued at $8.7 million in Como, Italy

Real estate properties belonging to Vladimir Soloviev were seized by the Italian financial police in the province of Como, according to a police statement . Soloviev is a Russian pro-Kremlin propagandist and TV/radio journalist, according to EU Council sanctions . The frozen Italian real estate is worth approximately 8 million euros (about $8.7 million).

Real estate linked to Alisher Usmanov valued at $18 million in Arzachena, Italy

A real estate compendium belonging to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov was seized by the Italian financial police in the Golfo del Pevero area in Arzachena, according to a statement . The frozen Italian real estate is worth approximately 17 million euros (about $18 million).

Usmanov is one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires with vast domestic and international holdings, according to the US Treasury. The US government sanctioned him in early March in a campaign targeting Putin’s allies, stating he is alleged to have financial ties to Putin. The US said it sanctioned his private jet and his 512-foot superyacht named “Dilbar.”

“Lena” linked to Gennady Timchenko valued at $55 million in San Remo, Italy

The Italian financial police seized Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko’s yacht, named “Lena,” in the port of San Remo, according to a police statement . Timchenko is the owner of private investment group, Volga Group. He was sanctioned by the EU in February. When the US government sanctioned Timchenko in 2014, an effort targeting Putin’s inner circle, they stated his “activities in the energy sector have been directly linked to Putin.” The 126-foot yacht is worth approximately 50 million euros (about $55 million).

“Lady M” linked to Alexey Mordaschov valued at $71 million in Imperia, Italy

The Italian financial police seized Russian billionaire Alexey Mordaschov’s yacht, named “Lady M,” in the northern port of Imperia, according to a police statement . Mordaschov is the chairman of Russian mining and steel company Severstal and is one of Russia’s richest men, worth $18.5 billion, according to Forbes . The 213-foot yacht is worth approximately 65 million euros (about $71 million).

March 3, 2022

“amore vero” linked to igor sechin valued at $120 million in la ciotat, france.

French authorities seized a yacht linked to Igor Sechin in the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat, according to the French Finance Ministry . Sechin is the CEO of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company and one of the world’s largest crude oil producers. The yacht, named “Amore Vero” — or “True Love” in Italian — was scheduled to leave the port on April 1 after arriving in January. Sechin was deputy prime minister of Russia from 2008 until 2012. The European Union said his connections to Putin are “long and deep,” with the two men maintaining daily contact. The yacht is worth about $120 million, according to SuperYachtFan. A Sechin spokesman denied that he is tied to the yacht.

Tips: Do you have information to share about seized or frozen Russian assets? Learn how to reach our journalists and help us investigate.

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The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts

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For many Russian oligarchs, their superyachts have long been their most prized assets. But when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some of those superyachts became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions launched by the West. Many yachts were seized or detained, others tried to escape in a hurry and some seemingly disappeared. With an exclusive interview with the head of the US KleptoCapture Task Force, Our World tells the inside story of the game of cat and mouse between some of the world's most powerful nations and some of Russia's richest men.

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The Rise and Fall of the Russian Oligarchs
Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone
Mariupol: The People's Story
Mariupol - The Chronicles of Hell
Million Pound Mega Yachts
Extreme Yachts: Series 1

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The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts

For many Russian oligarchs, their super-yachts have long been their most prized assets. But when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some of those super-yachts became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions launched by the West. Many yachts were seized or detained, others tried to escape in a hurry and some seemingly disappeared. With an exclusive interview with the head of the US KleptoCapture Task Force, Our World tells the inside story of the game of cat and mouse between some of the world's most powerful nations and some of Russia's richest men.

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Insiders still have no idea what's going to happen to Russian oligarchs' seized superyachts

It's been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to sanctions against Russian oligarchs.
Many of their superyachts were seized or frozen , leading industry insiders to question their fate.
The yachts, some of which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, remain in a state of limbo.

More than two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the boating world still doesn't have many answers about what's going on with the very large, expensive elephants in the sea: oligarchs' superyachts .

The war prompted many governments to enact sanctions against Russia's richest , including seizing their superyachts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But it's unclear whether they can be sold or who'd buy them, leaving ports peppered with massive boats stuck in a floating limbo.

"The Russian problem, it's becoming a bigger and bigger and bigger problem," one luxury yacht broker told Business Insider at the Palm Beach International Boat Show last week. Like many others, he requested not to be named, given the sensitive nature of the matter at hand and the generally discreet nature of the industry.

Russia has been a massive player in the massive boat market for a long time. In August 2021 — about six months before Russia's Ukraine invasion — Russians owned the second-largest share of yachts over 40 meters in length, according to a report from the industry publication SuperYacht Times.

They were responsible for 16% of new build superyacht purchases in the decade preceding the report and are known for splashing out on extravagant interiors and unique features. (One builder BI spoke to recalled a mandate from an oligarch for a large safe in the owner's cabin in which he could keep his rifles. The builder later learned he'd use them to skeet shoot on deck.)

But those sales have now screeched to a halt as oligarchs get hit by international sanctions. At least a dozen superyachts — worth well over $1 billion combined — have been affected.

And no one is quite sure what will happen to them.

Russia's sanctioned superyachts are hard to buy and sell

The first problem is that many of the yachts are "frozen" — not seized. That means that although the Russian owners can't operate or collect them, they don't technically belong to an overseas government, so they can't be sold without special permission.

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors petitioned a judge asking for consent to sell the Amadea, the 106-meter superyacht that has been docked in San Diego and costs the US as much as $922,000 a month to maintain.

"I've had some inquiries, but all you can tell them is we don't know the outcome yet" of the case, another superyacht broker told BI at the yacht show.

Watch: Video of Russian naval ship explosion shows a much-needed win for Ukraine

Main content

A Brief History of Superyachts

And how they explain the world..

Tim Murphy January+February 2024 Issue

James Clapham

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When the US targeted Russia’s oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine, the trail of assets kept leading to our own backyard. Not only had our nation become a haven for shady foreign money, but we were also incubating a familiar class of yacht-owning, industry-dominating, resource-extracting billionaires. In the January + February 2024 issue of our magazine, we investigate the rise of American Oligarchy—and what it means for the rest of us. You can read all the pieces here .

The luxury yacht may be the world’s most exclusive form of transportation. But there are only a hundred-some that meet the definition of a gigayacht—a pleasure craft 295 feet or longer. Their opaque ownership records offer a glimpse of modern wealth and power: Over two dozen are linked to Gulf royals, businessmen, or states, and 20 to citizens (past or current) of the former Soviet Union. At least 23 have reportedly belonged to Americans, including founders of Microsoft, Netscape, Amazon, WhatsApp, and Snapchat. The widow of a German retailer who thrived under Hitler owned one; a UK tax exile and a Formula 1 dad still do. Yugoslav strongman Tito’s old yacht makes the list; Dominican dictator Trujillo’s does too. Take a cruise through the history of the vessels and their—somewhat—more modest sister ships.

1895: Nineteen years before World War I, the future King Edward VII of England punches his nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm II, in the face, after the German’s 121-foot yacht, Meteor II , defeats the royal Britannia in a race off the Isle of Wight.

1954: Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis ushers in an era of postwar one-upmanship with his 325-foot Christina O . It features a pool that converts into a dance floor, furniture made from whale foreskin, and pornographic carvings.

1963: During his final birthday party aboard the presidential yacht Sequoia , JFK chases future Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee’s wife, Antoinette, into the bathroom and gropes her. “I guess I was pretty surprised, but I was kind of flattered, and appalled, too,” she says later. The ship’s visitor logs are destroyed after Kennedy’s assassination.

1984: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia builds the record-breaking 482-foot Prince Abdulaziz .

1987: Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.) drops out of the presidential race just before photos emerge of him with model Donna Rice aboard the yacht Monkey Business .

1988: Donald Trump acquires Nabila , which previously belonged to the Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and was featured in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again . He renames it Trump Princess , adds a disco, and changes the helipad’s “H” to a “T.”

1991: After one of Trump’s casinos files for bankruptcy, he sells Trump Princess to his bank—which flips it to a Saudi prince. A new yacht, the Trump Princess II , which he boasted would be “something in excess of 400 feet long, closer to 500 feet,” is never built.

British publisher Robert Maxwell’s body is found in the Atlantic Ocean, where he had been cruising on a 180-footer named for his daughter—the Lady Ghislaine . The vessel is eventually resold to Anna Murdoch, Rupert’s second wife.

1994: At a cocktail party on the oligarch Petr Aven’s yacht in the Caribbean, Boris Berezovsky meets Roman Abramovich, calling him a “nice boy who wanted to discuss commercial projects.” He and Abramovich begin working together to acquire Sibneft, a Russian state oil company.

1997: Construction ends on The Limited and Victoria’s Secret owner Les Wexner’s 316-foot Limitless . The project was overseen by his good friend Jeffrey Epstein.

1999: Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison buys the 191-foot Izanami from a Japanese seller. He changes the name to Ronin , he said later , after “the local newspapers started pointing out that Izanami was ‘I’m a Nazi’ spelled backwards.”

2001: Months before Enron files for bankruptcy, former CEO Jeffrey Skilling asks a company executive for advice on finding a yacht broker. “This industry is known for crooks and thieves,” he warns Skilling.

2002: House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) promises to strip “corporate kingpins of their ill-gotten gains,” after scandals rock Enron and WorldCom. “We’re coming after the yacht.”

2003: DeLay charges donors $500,000 a pop for tickets to a yacht cruise.

2005: Ellison shoots down rumors he issued orders midconstruction to have his newest yacht, the 454-foot Rising Sun , extended to outdo Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s recently launched 414-foot Octopus .

Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) pleads guilty to federal bribery charges after being caught living rent-free on a yacht, called the Duke-Stir , that was moored in Washington, DC, and owned by a defense contractor.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s 531-foot Dubai surpasses Prince Abdulaziz as the world’s longest yacht.

2006: Media mogul Barry Diller reveals the world’s longest sailing yacht, the 305-foot Eos , whose prow features a 9-foot-tall sculpture of his wife, Diane von Furstenberg.

2007: Diller opens a Manhattan corporate headquarters at a Frank Gehry–designed building that itself has been likened to a sailboat . It’s across the street from where Eos ties up.

2008: George Osborne, the No. 2 official in the UK’s Conservative Party, relaxes on Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska’s yacht while vacationing with his family in Greece. He denies an accusation that he solicited funds, explaining in a statement that they discussed “Russian history” and drank tea.

2009: As his marriage falls apart, Tiger Woods retreats to a 155-foot yacht called Privacy .

2010: Abramovich’s new ship, Eclipse , surpasses Dubai as the world’s longest yacht. The 533-foot vessel features a submarine, anti-missile systems, and lasers to thwart paparazzi .

2011: During an unsuccessful suit seeking $5 billion he believed Abramovich owed him from the sale of Sibneft, an exiled Berezovsky claims that his former partner helped purchase the yacht Olympia for Vladimir Putin. When the BBC publishes a supporting account from another Russian businessman five years later, Abramovich’s lawyers dismiss the allegation as “a rehash of speculation and rumours.”

2012: As GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney faces criticism for holding investment funds in the Cayman Islands, his campaign invites donors to party on Cracker Bay . The ship, owned by the founder of The Villages retirement community, flies the Cayman Islands’ flag.

2013: UAE leader Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan launches the 593-foot Azzam , surpassing the Eclipse .

2014: The Wall Street Journal reports that Ellison has basketball hoops on “at least two of his yachts” and had someone follow in a smaller boat “to retrieve balls that go overboard.”

2016: Allen’s Tatoosh drags its anchor through a protected zone in the Cayman Islands, destroying 14,000 square feet of coral.

2017: After leaving office, Barack and Michelle Obama retreat to the South Pacific aboard David Geffen’s yacht, where they’re joined by Oprah, Tom Hanks, and Bruce Springsteen.

Abramovich’s business partner, Eugene Shvidler, blocks views of the Statue of Liberty while anchoring his 370-foot Le Grand Bleu in New York Harbor for a month.

Addressing the national Boy Scout Jamboree, Trump tells an anecdote widely assumed to allude to sex parties on a yacht belonging to the developer of the Levittown suburbs. “You’re Boy Scouts, so I’m not going to tell you what he did,” he said. “But you know life.”

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) buys a yacht and on the same day votes to cut taxes on yachts.

2018: Rupert Murdoch is airlifted to UCLA after collapsing on a yacht trip with his fourth wife, Jerry Hall. “He kept almost dying,” a source tells Vanity Fair .

Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott designates a billionaire donor’s marina as a special anti-poverty opportunity zone.

Someone unties Seaquest , a superyacht belonging to Trump administration Secretary of Education (and billionaire) Betsy DeVos, causing it to crash into a dock on Lake Erie.

Businessman Jho Low, who financed The Wolf of Wall Street , is accused of taking part in a $4.5 billion scheme to siphon Malaysian state development funds and using some to purchase a $250 million yacht.

2019: Actress Lori Loughlin is arrested in a college admissions bribery scheme . Her daughter, USC student Olivia Jade, is vacationing in the Bahamas— on a yacht belonging to USC board of trustees chair Rick Caruso.

Following an investigation into corruption in the Nigerian oil industry, the US government auctions off businessman Kolawole Aluko’s Galactica Star , six years after Jay-Z rented out the vessel for Beyoncé’s 32nd birthday. A former Enron unit attempts to claim a portion of the proceeds.

Clarence Thomas visits an Indonesian preserve for Komodo dragons with billionaire Harlan Crow on the conservative megadonor’s Michaela Rose .

ArtNet reports that a $450 million (reputed) da Vinci that was supposed to be in an Abu Dhabi museum has been spotted hanging in Mohammed bin Salman’s personal yacht, Serene .

Kylie Jenner holds her 22nd birthday party on Low’s yacht, now under new ownership.

2020: “[I]solated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus,” Geffen writes on Instagram from Rising Sun , which he purchased in 2010. “I’m hoping everybody is staying safe.”

Steve Bannon is arrested off the coast of Connecticut by US Postal Police while aboard the fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui’s 150-foot Lady May .

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. dresses up as a character from the TV show Trailer Park Boys for a costume party aboard a NASCAR mogul’s yacht. He later posts a photo of himself to Instagram with his fly unzipped and his arms around his wife’s assistant.

2021: NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre testifies that he took refuge on Illusions , a Hollywood producer’s yacht, after the Newtown and Parkland mass shootings. “I remember getting there going, ‘Thank God I’m safe, nobody can get me here.’”

During a bitter divorce, the Daily Mail reports that Tatiana Akhmedova, wife of the Russian Azerbaijani billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, hired a team of British special forces veterans to seize his yacht, Luna , in an effort to enforce a Marshall Islands court ruling. They settle instead, and he keeps the boat.

Port Azure , dubbed the world’s first harbor designed exclusively for megayachts, opens in Gocek, Turkey. It bills itself as a place where “problems big and small go away.”

2022: Amid reports a historic bridge will be dismantled so Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ newly built Koru can leave Rotterdam’s shipyards, residents threaten to pelt the sailboat with eggs . The city changes plans.

A Ukrainian mechanic is arrested in Mallorca for attempting to sink a vessel owned by his boss, a Russian arms dealer.

Biden promises oligarchs he’s going to “take their ill-begotten gains” after the invasion of Ukraine. “We’re going to seize their yachts.”

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder avoids a congressional subpoena on the team’s misogynistic culture while cruising the Mediterranean on his yacht, Lady S .

Missing Russian superyachts are spotted waiting out sanctions at Port Azure.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) criticizes Joe Biden for vacationing in Delaware while vacationing on a luxury yacht in Italy.

After sailing through Fiji on his yacht Aquarius , briefly retired Disney CEO Bob Iger tells friends he misses his wife and is bored with life.

New York Republican congressional candidate George Santos brokers a $19 million deal to sell a superyacht called Namaste to a Long Island car dealer.

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX reveals in court filings that founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund once spent $2.5 million on a yacht, which a top executive named Soak My Deck .

2023: Bezos takes possession of Koru . The $500 million, 417-foot sailboat comes with a bust that resembles his fiancée Lauren Sánchez—and its own second, 246-foot “shadow” support yacht with crew quarters and a hangar for the helicopter she pilots.

After divorcing Jerry Hall, Rupert Murdoch vacations on the Christina O with Abramovich’s ex-mother-in-law.

As TV and movie writers and actors strike, the Wall Street Journal reports that Iger, now back at work, has been regaling visitors to his Burbank office about the new, longer yacht he’s building.

Measuring Contest

Iconic gigayachts through the years

1931: Sea Cloud , Marjorie Post: 359 ft.

1981: Atlantis II , Stavros Niarchos: 380 ft.

2003: Octopus , Paul Allen: 414 ft.

2005: Rising Sun , Larry Ellison: 454 ft.

2010: Eclipse , Roman Abramovich: 533 ft.

2013: Azzam , Sheikh Khalifa: 593 ft.

Illustrations by Anthony Calvert

The Few, The Loud

Some famous faces aboard gigayachts

Steven Spielberg reeled out his anchor off Cannes.

A part of Katy Perry got stuck exiting a dinghy on her way to Barry Diller’s yacht.

Mohammed bin Salman purchased his yacht, Serene , just hours after he saw it.

Jerry Jones made a draft pick aboard his Bravo Eugenia to deepen the Cowboys’ bench.

Mariah Carey was engaged to a gigayacht owner, before the fantasy ended.

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Saturday, March 30, 2024 3:17 am (Paris)

Vladimir Putin

Moscow attack: 'The Russian population seems doomed to endure the Kremlin's hunt for imaginary threats'

Dimitri Minic

By suggesting that Ukraine was involved in the Crocus City Hall massacre despite the Islamic State organization claiming responsibility for it, Vladimir Putin is perpetuating the logic of a political-military elite that blames the West for all evils, explains Dimitri Minic, a specialist in Russian strategic thinking.

Published on March 28, 2024, at 10:29 am (Paris) Time to 4 min. Lire en français

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"Some would like to cut a juicy piece of our pie. Others help them. They help, reasoning that Russia (...) still represents a threat to them (...). Terrorism, of course, is just one instrument they use to achieve these aims." These were the revealing comments Vladimir Putin made on September 4, 2004, regarding the hostage-taking crisis at a school in Beslan [a town in the Russian Caucasus] by Chechen terrorists and separatists, which claimed the lives of around a thousand victims.

If there's one mistake the West made in its relationship with Russia, it was not paying enough attention to or taking seriously the rhetoric coming from the Kremlin and Russia's political-military elites. Putin's anti-Western, paranoid and virulent speech in Munich in 2007 was not out of character. Russia's beliefs and ideas have never really changed since 1991. An analysis of its speeches and archives would have enabled the West to avoid many unpleasant surprises.

What is remarkable about post-Soviet Russian politics, as the reaction of the Kremlin, the political scientist elites and the Russian media made clear, is not its unpredictability but its continuity – that of the ruling elites and their cognitive frameworks, which was partly shaped by the Soviet era. They almost immediately accused Ukraine, and therefore the West, of having masterminded the attack, despite the Islamic State (IS) Khorasan Province (IS' Afghan affiliate) clearly claiming responsibility, and Washington being altruistic enough to warn Moscow of the imminence of the attack despite the prevailing hostility.

Putin does not gamble; he is acting predictably and consistently with a stance that is traditional among the politico-military elites from which he originates. First, these elites have deep-rooted historical beliefs and ways of thinking that lead them to believe that the radically hostile and omnipotent West is behind every destabilizing event. They have a tendency to deny chance and contingency, deterministic reasoning and are convinced that things that happen are interconnected and often hidden. Russia's political-military elites think that an individual is always being manipulated: Either he is the object of machinations by Russia's enemies, or he is brought into line by the state, supposedly for his own good. Moreover, actors sometimes resort to conspiracy theories to explain away contradictions and avoid questioning their core beliefs: In this instance, the idea that a hostile West is besieging and seeking to destroy Russia.

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Moscow attack: Jeremy Hunt cautious of Putin's 'smokescreen of propaganda' after Russian attack

Jeremy Hunt called the attack on Moscow on Friday night a “tragedy” but said he does not have confidence in Kremlin statements.

Four gunmen were among the 11 arrrested after suspected terrorists killed at least 133 people at the Picnic concert in the Russian capital.

The chancellor said the loss of life was "horrific" but has warned of the need to stay clear from what he called a “smokescreen of propaganda” from the Kremlin.

During an address to the nation on Saturday, president Putin said the people responsible for the massacre would be “justly and inevitably punished”. He said authorities had arrested four of those detained, adding that he believes they were headed to Ukraine.

Kyiv, meanwhile, strongly denied any involvement in Friday's attack, which the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for in a statement posted on social media channels linked to the group.

Ukraine leaders accused Mr Putin and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault in order to stoke fervor in Russia's war in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year.

Mr Hunt told Sky News on Sunday : “We have very little confidence in anything the Russian government says.

“[Russia is] creating a smokescreen of propaganda to defend an utterly evil invasion of Ukraine.

“That doesn’t mean it is not a tragedy when innocent people die.

“[I take] everything the Russian government says with a pinch of salt after what we have seen.”

A US intelligence official told news agency The Associated Press that US agencies had confirmed that IS was responsible for the attack.

Mr Putin cast the enemy as "international terrorism" and said that he was ready to work with any state that wanted to defeat it.

"All the perpetrators, organisers and those who ordered this crime will be justly and inevitably punished. Whoever they are, whoever is guiding them," Putin said.

"We will identify and punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, who prepared this atrocity, this strike against Russia, against our people."

The shooters are believed to have also set fire to the building with explosives during Friday’s attack, leaving the sprawling shopping mall and music venue smoldering with a collapsed roof.

Russia's National Guard and more than 50 ambulance crews arrived at the scene shortly after the first reports of the attack at around 6pm.

But the blaze raged for more than one hour while firemen were unable to approach the building during the shooting. By 8pm, emergency services had begun to tackle the blaze with the assistance of a helicopter.

Crowds had gathered for a concert of Russian rock band Picnic, at the hall which can hold more than 6,000 people. The attack began simultaneously in the auditorium and the foyer, where people were still queueing to enter.

“They acted like trained fighters,” a witness told the Mash Telegram channel. 'At the moment of entering the building, the guards and people standing at the door were killed. Then they blocked the main entrance.

“At least two of the attackers are carrying backpacks, possibly with Molotov cocktails.'

Telegram channel Baza carried a report from a security guard at the central entrance to the hall: 'When the shooting began I was standing at the central entrance on the ground floor.

“They started shooting from outside and the windows shattered. Next to the entrance there were three other security guards and they hid behind an advertising board. And those attackers walked past us 10m away.

“They started shooting randomly at people on the ground floor and went towards the concert hall.”

Another witness said: “Everyone started running, there was panic, there was a terrible crush. Everyone was lying down on the ground, crushing each other.”

Chilling footage purportedly filmed within the concert hall, posted on social media last night, appeared to show the heavilyarmed gunmen shooting people at point-blank range as they moved through the hall.

The apparent terror attack comes days after president Vladmir Putin was re-elected for another six years .

At least five people died in the early hours of Friday when Russian troops fired on Ukraine’s biggest hydroelectric plant

It also followed a statement earlier this month by the US embassy in Moscow urging Americans to avoid crowded places in the Russian capital in view of an imminent attack, a warning repeated by the UK Foreign Office.

In a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, the Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan said it had attacked a large gathering of "Christians" in Krasnogorsk. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the claim.

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The Hunt For Russia’s Superyachts

For many Russian oligarchs, their superyachts are their most prized assets. But when Russia invaded Ukraine, these superyachts soon became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions by the US, EU and UK. Some yachts were seized, others tried to hide them in a hurry. This thrilling documentary tells the inside story of the game of cat and mouse between the yacht hunters and Russia's rich set.

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Putin wishes ‘speedy recovery’ to victims of Moscow shooting – as it happened

This blog has closed, read our full report here:

Full story: shootings and fire at Moscow venue
7d ago Summary
23 Mar 2024 Putin wishes victims ‘speedy recovery’, deputy PM says
23 Mar 2024 At least 60 dead, Russia’s Investigative Committee says
22 Mar 2024 UN secretary general condemns attack in 'strongest possible terms'
22 Mar 2024 145 people injured in attack, says Moscow health ministry
22 Mar 2024 Islamic State claims members escaped after attacking concert hall
22 Mar 2024 Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on concert hall
22 Mar 2024 What we know so far
22 Mar 2024 Russia cancels all entertainment and mass events
22 Mar 2024 Children among those injured in shooting – report
22 Mar 2024 Search for concert hall attackers ongoing - reports
22 Mar 2024 Putin receiving regular updates on attack, says Kremlin
22 Mar 2024 Ukraine denies involvement in attacks
22 Mar 2024 40 dead, more than 100 wounded, says FSB
22 Mar 2024 Roof of concert hall where shooting took place is collapsing
22 Mar 2024 Russia calls on international community to condemn the 'monstrous crime'
22 Mar 2024 Moscow cancels all mass gatherings and strengthens security at airports and stations
22 Mar 2024 Opening summary

Smoke from fire rises above the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia.

Islamic State claims members escaped after attacking concert hall

The Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow.

The full statement posted on its Telegram account reads:

Islamic State fighters attacked a large gathering of Christians in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of the Russian capital, Moscow, killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely.

It’s now just after 7am in Moscow and this blog is closing here. We’ll be back soon to bring you all the latest news. In the meantime, here are the key developments:

Gunmen opened fire at the 6,200-seat Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow on Friday evening at a concert for the Russian rock group Piknik .

Sixty people were killed , a spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee said in the early hours of Saturday according to Russian media, and the number may rise . Earlier authorities had said at least 145 were wounded . Ria news agency quoted Moscow governor Andrey Vorobyov as saying 110 adults and five children had been hospitalised, with 60 adults in a serious condition.

Up to five gunmen were believed to be involved in the attack , which was later claimed by Islamic State in a post on Telegram which suggested that the attackers had managed to escape afterwards. Videos released by social media channels close to the security services showed at least two armed men walking into the hall.

The Russian national guard was searching for the attackers , Russian news agencies reported. The Investigative Committee said early Saturday it was too early to say anything about the fate of the attackers.

Videos emerged showing gunmen in tactical gear opening fire with automatic weapons as panicked Russians fled for their lives. One witness told the news agency AFP that as people ran towards emergency exits, “there was a terrible crush” with concert-goers climbing on one another’s heads to get out.

The emergencies ministry said that fire services had helped about 100 people escape through the basement of the concert hall. Tass news agency said that all of the Piknik group had been evacuated safely. Rescue operations were also launched for people trapped on the roof.

President Vladimir Putin was receiving “constant” updates, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

Earlier this month, western countries led by the United States had issued terror warnings and told their citizens not to join public gatherings in Russia. On 8 March, the US embassy wrote it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and US citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours”.

Russia did not immediately blame anyone for the attack. Former president Dmitry Medvedev did say, however, that Ukrainian leaders found to be involved would be “destroyed”.

The US presidency called the attack “terrible” and said there was no immediate sign of any link to the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine’s presidency said Kyiv had “nothing to do” with the attack, while its military intelligence called the incident a Russian “provocation” and charged that Moscow special services were behind it.

Russia tightened security at airports, transport hubs and across the capital – a vast urban area of over 21 million people. All large-scale public events have been cancelled across the country.

Continued from previous post

The earlier attack in Iran demonstrated the group’s “resiliency and indicates that they retain the capability and will to conduct spectacular external operations”.

Russia’s FSB security service said that on 7 March it had prevented an armed attack by the group on a synagogue in the Kaluga region near Moscow .

The FSB said in a statement:

It was established that the militants of an international terrorist organisation are preparing an attack on the parishioners of the synagogue using firearms.

Within hours, the US embassy issued an unusual warning for American citizens to avoid large gatherings and in particular concerts, repeating calls for US citizens to leave Russia.

CNN reporters said they had been told that “since November there has been ‘fairly specific’ intelligence that Isis-K wanted to carry out attacks in Russia … US intelligence warned Russia about it”.

The ISKP, which is a branch of IS mainly based in Afghanistan , has increasingly focused its attention on Russia since the United States left Afghanistan in 2021.

The group was formed in 2015 by members of militant groups, including those from Pakistan and Uzbekistan, and is active in central Asia and Russia . It carried out twin bombings in January in Iran that killed nearly 100 people.

Gen Michael Kurilla , the commander of US Central Command, during testimony to the House armed services committee in early March said:

Isis-K and its allies retain a safe haven in Afghanistan, and they continue to develop their networks in and out of the country. Their goals do not stop there. They have called for attacks globally on anyone not aligned with their extremist ideology, and Taliban efforts to suppress the group have proven insufficient.

Analysis: Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for Moscow shooting

Guardian’s Moscow correspondent Andrew Roth has analysed Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the Moscow music hall shooting:

Speculation about who carried out the shooting at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow has quickly indicated that the terror attack will have outsized political implications in Russia and abroad.

A claim has surfaced that the attack was carried out by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) a regional affiliate of the IS terrorist organisation. IS has been implicated in some of Russia’s largest recent terror attacks, including the 2017 bombing in the St Petersburg metro that killed 15 and injured 45.

US intelligence told American news agencies that there’s “no reason to doubt” the IS claims of responsibility.

Russian firefighters and officials have finally entered the auditorium within the Crocus Concert Hall, RIA News reports.

Andrey Vorobyov, the governor of Moscow oblast, said that some pockets of fire still remain in Crocus but that most of the fire had been distinguished.

The roof over the hall collapsed, Vorobyov noted, according to RIA News.

RIA News has also shared a video to Telegram of the passage to Red Square in Moscow being blocked off.

Russian firefighters extinguish a fire on the Crocus City Hall concert venue after a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi has also strongly condemned the “heinous terrorist attack in Moscow” , tweeting the country “stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation”.

We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 23, 2024

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned and denounced the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall.

Posting to social media, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed “the Kingdom’s sincere condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of the deceased and the government and people of the Russian Federation” after the “painful incident”.

Search continues for attackers

It was reported earlier by Reuters that the fate of the attackers was unclear, as firefighters battled the massive blaze at the concert venue, and emergency services evacuated hundreds of people while parts of the venue’s roof collapsed.

A grainy picture was published by some Russian media reportedly of two of the alleged attackers in a white car .

The search for the attackers reportedly continues but Russian authorities are yet to comment on any developments.

Islamic State said earlier that its fighters attacked on the outskirts of Moscow, “killing and wounding hundreds and causing great destruction to the place before they withdrew to their bases safely”. The statement gave no further detail.

Russian policemen check the area around the burned Crocus City Hall concert venue following the shooting in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow

Why would ISIS be attacking Russia ?

The attack by ISIS-K in Russia on Friday is being described as a dramatic escalation, according to Reuters.

Experts have said the group has opposed Russian president Vladimir Putin in recent years.

For some background, Putin changed the course of the Syrian civil war by intervening in 2015, supporting president Bashar al-Assad against the opposition and Islamic State.

Colin Clarke of Soufan Center, a Washington-based research group, said:

ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years, frequently criticizing Putin in its propaganda.

ISIS-K, in full is Islamic State Khorasan.

The group is named after an old term for the region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan , and emerged in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 , quickly establishing a reputation for extreme brutality, as per Reuters.

There is also a Caucasus branch of ISIS.

The broader Islamic State group has claimed deadly attacks across the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Europe , the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

We will have a more in-depth explainer coming shortly.

Investigations underway at Crocus City Hall

Russia’s investigative committee has published footage of investigators working at the scene after the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall, on the western edge of Moscow.

The unknown people who carried out the terrorist attack in Crocus were armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, RIA News is reporting.

Here are screenshots of the video released by Russia’s investigative committee on Saturday.

Investigators from the Investigative Committee of Russia together with the operational units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, work on actions at the scene after a terrorist attack on the building of the Crocus City Hall.

RIA News has shared a full statement from the Russian Investigative Committee regarding updates to the terrorist attack in Crocus:

Investigators, criminologists and experts from the Investigative Committee of Russia, together with the operational units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, continue investigative actions at the scene of the incident.

The bodies of the dead are being examined. It has been previously established that more than 60 people died as a result of the terrorist attack. Unfortunately, the number of victims may increase.

Material evidence, including weapons and ammunition, is confiscated from the crime scene, all necessary examinations are ordered and carried out, including genetic, ballistic, and fingerprint examinations.

CCTV footage is being confiscated and studied.

Putin wishes victims ‘speedy recovery’, deputy PM says

Russia’s Tass state news agency is reporting that Putin has wished all those injured in the emergency at Crocus City Hall a speedy recovery and conveyed his gratitude to the doctors.

Russia’s deputy prime minister, Tatiana Golikova reportedly told Tass of Putin’s remarks, which are the first comments the Russian president has made so far about the terror attack.

At least 60 dead, Russia’s Investigative Committee says

Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Saturday that more than 60 people had been killed in the attack on the concert near Moscow, according to Reuters.

Russian state news agency RIA on Saturday quoted a spokesperson for the country’s Investigative Committee as saying it was too early to say anything about the fate of the attackers .

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said it was a “bloody terrorist attack” that the entire world should condemn, according to AFP.

Zakharova wrote on Telegram earlier:

The entire world community must condemn this despicable crime!

French president Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack on Friday at a concert hall near Moscow, calling it a “terrorist attack”, according to Reuters.

Macron, in a statement, said he “firmly condemns this terrorist attack, claimed by the Islamic State”.

He said in the statement that France stands in solidarity with the victims of the shooting.

President Emmanuel Macron of France at a press conference following the European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, on 22 March

This is Claire Keenan taking over from my colleague Maanvi Singh .

The US has intelligence confirming the Islamic State’s claim taking responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters. The agency cites an unnamed US official:

The official said the United States had warned Russia in recent weeks about the possibility of an attack. ‘We did warn the Russians appropriately, ’ said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, without providing any additional details. At least 40 people were killed and 145 wounded on Friday when camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons on concertgoers near Moscow in one of the deadliest attacks on Russia in decades. Islamic State, the militant group that once sought control over swathes of Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group’s Amaq agency said on Telegram. The death toll made it one of the worst attacks on Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, when Islamist militants took more than 1,000 people hostage, including hundreds of children.

The death toll has risen to 62, Russia’s Baza news outlet has reported based on preliminary information. The Guardian has not confirmed the number and will be watching for updates from the health ministry.

Moscow concert hall attack

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Jeremy Hunt says UK should 'absolutely' be concerned about Islamic State after Moscow attack

Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) has claimed responsibility for the massacre, in which more than 130 people were killed at a concert hall.

Political reporter

Sunday 24 March 2024 09:38, UK

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Chancellor takes Russia's accounts of the Moscow attack with an 'enormous pinch of salt', as Putin lays blame on Ukraine

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has warned the UK should "absolutely" be concerned about the threat of Islamic State following the terror attack in Moscow.

At least 133 people died in the massacre in the Russian capital on Friday.

Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which is a branch of the militant group operating in central Asia, has claimed responsibility.

Asked if the rest of Europe - including the UK - should be "concerned" in the wake of Friday's events, Mr Hunt told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips : "Absolutely."

He added: "We are very lucky in this country that we have incredibly impressive intelligence agencies who have been successful in stopping, in foiling, a lot of terrorist threats over recent years.

"But we have to remain vigilant - and, you know, if it is Islamic State, they are utterly indiscriminate in what they do, they are prepared to murder in the most horrific way."

Read more: Trevor Phillips live: Russia creating 'smokescreen of propaganda' Russia-Ukraine latest: Kyiv under Russian air attack

Asked if there was a chance of the UK's threat level being raised, Mr Hunt said this was decided by a "special system" in government, and said he was not privy to their discussions.

"I know that they will be looking at this kind of event" Mr Hunt said, "And then they'll be looking at the intelligence that our own intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6, GCHQ, are picking up.

"And, what I would say is that while we must remain vigilant, they have been extraordinarily successful in foiling a number of plots - a lot of things that never reached the public domain."

Currently, the UK's threat level is "substantial" - the third-highest rating, according to the Security Service, also known as MI5.

The levels are as follows:

• Low - an attack is highly unlikely • Moderate - an attack is possible, but not likely • Substantial - an attack is likely • Severe - an attack is highly likely • Critical - an attack is highly likely in the near future

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With Russia claiming there may be Ukrainian involvement in the attacks on Friday, Mr Hunt was asked how much the public should believe them.

He told Sky News: "I think we have very little confidence in anything the Russian government says.

"We know that they are creating a smokescreen of propaganda to defend an utterly evil invasion of Ukraine."

He added that he takes "what the Russian government says with an enormous pinch of salt".

4 men charged in Moscow attack, showing signs of beatings at hearing as court says 2 accept guilt

At least 133 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall. Russian President Vladimir Putin says authorities have arrested four men suspected of carrying out the attack.

Suspects in the Russia concert hall attack, which left more than 130 dead, arrived at a Moscow district court on Sunday night. Russian authorities arrested four suspected attackers on Saturday, with seven more detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack.

Russian President Putin visits church and places candles for victims of Moscow concert hall attack

Rescuers clear rubble from Moscow Hall, while mourners bring flowers for victims

A suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday sits in a courtroom in the Basmanny District Court, in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

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Mukhammadsobir Faizov, a suspect in Friday’s shooting at the Crocus City Hall, sits in a glass cage in the Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday, sits in a glass cage in the Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday sits in a glass cage in the Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday, is escorted by police and FSB officers in the Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday, is escorted by police officers in the Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday is escorted by police officers in the Basmanny District Court, in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

People lay flowers at a spontaneous memorial in memory of the victims of Moscow attack in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, two days after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle to commemorate the victims of an attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, on the day of national mourning, in Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by the Investigative Committee of Russia on Sunday, March 24, 2024, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday is escorted to the Russian Investigative Committee headquarters in Moscow, Russia. (Investigative Committee of Russia via AP)

A woman places flowers in memory of the victims of the attack in Moscow, in the center of Simferopol, in Russian-held Crimea, Sunday, March 24, 2024. Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, two days after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people. (AP Photo)

A man lays flowers at a spontaneous memorial in memory of the victims of Moscow attack in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, two days after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russian President’s Flag flies at half mast over the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, two days after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people. (AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov)

In this photo taken from video released by Investigative Committee of Russia on Sunday, March 24, 2024, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday, right, stands inside the Russian Investigative Committee headquarters in Moscow, Russia. (Investigative Committee of Russia via AP)

A Russian national flag is at half-mast over the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, two days after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

In this photo taken from video released by Investigative Committee of Russia on Sunday, March 24, 2024, suspects in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday are escorted inside the Russian Investigative Committee headquarters in Moscow, Russia. (Investigative Committee of Russia via AP)

A man places flowers at a spontaneous memorial in memory of the victims of Moscow attack in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday, two days after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

In this photo taken from video released by Investigative Committee of Russia on Sunday, March 24, 2024, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday is escorted inside the Russian Investigative Committee headquarters in Moscow, Russia. (Investigative Committee of Russia via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by Investigative Committee of Russia on Sunday, March 24, 2024, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting on Friday is escorted to the Russian Investigative Committee headquarters in Moscow, Russia. (Investigative Committee of Russia via AP)

MOSCOW (AP) — Four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people appeared before a Moscow court Sunday on terrorism charges showing signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.

Court statements said two of the suspects accepted their guilt in the assault, though the men’s condition raised questions about whether they were speaking freely. There had been conflicting reports in Russian media outlets that said three or all four men admitted culpability.

The investigators charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsidin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19, with committing a terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered that the men, all of whom were identified in the media as citizens of Tajikistan, be held in custody until May 22 pending investigation and trial.

People lay flowers and light candles standing next to the Crocus City Hall, on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russian media had reported that the men were tortured during interrogation by the security services, and Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda and Fariduni showed signs of heavy bruising, including swollen faces.

Rachabalizoda also had a heavily bandaged ear. Russian media said Saturday that one of the suspects had his ear cut off during interrogation. The Associated Press couldn’t verify the report or the videos purporting to show this.

The fourth suspect, Faizov, was brought to court from a hospital in a wheelchair and sat with his eyes closed throughout the proceedings. He was attended by medics while in court, where he wore a hospital gown and trousers and was seen with multiple cuts.

People lay flowers and light candles standing next to the Crocus City Hall, on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Court officials said Mirzoyev and Rachabalizoda admitted guilt for the attack after being charged.

The hearings came as Russia observed a national day of mourning for the attack Friday on the suburban Crocus City Hall concert venue that killed at least 137 people.

The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group, was the deadliest on Russian soil in years.

Russian authorities arrested the four suspected attackers Saturday, with seven more people detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to the nation Saturday night. He sought to tie the attack to Ukraine and claimed the assailants were captured while fleeing there. Kyiv has firmly denied involvement.

A man places flowers at a spontaneous memorial in memory of the victims of Moscow attack in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. Russia's top state investigative agency says the death toll in the Moscow concert hall attack has risen to over 133. The attack Friday on Crocus City Hall, a sprawling mall and concert venue on Moscow's western edge, also left many wounded and left the building a smoldering ruin. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A man places flowers at a spontaneous memorial in memory of the victims of Moscow attack in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Events at cultural institutions were canceled Sunday, flags were lowered to half-staff and television entertainment and advertising were suspended, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. A steady stream of people added to a makeshift memorial near the burned-out concert hall, creating a huge mound of flowers.

“People came to a concert, some people came to relax with their families, and any one of us could have been in that situation. And I want to express my condolences to all the families that were affected here and I want to pay tribute to these people,” Andrey Kondakov, one of the mourners who came to lay flowers at the memorial, told AP.

“It is a tragedy that has affected our entire country,” kindergarten employee Marina Korshunova said. “It just doesn’t even make sense that small children were affected by this event.” Three children were among the dead.

Rescuers continued to search the damaged building and the death toll rose as more bodies were found as family and friends of some of those still missing waiting for news. Moscow’s Department of Health said Sunday it had begun identifying the bodies of those killed via DNA testing, saying the process would take at least two weeks.

Igor Pogadaev was desperately seeking any details about his wife, Yana Pogadaeva, who went to the attack concert. The last he heard from her was when she sent him two photos from the Crocus City Hall music venue.

Traffic on the highway passes a message displayed on a billboard that reads: “We Mourn 03.22.2024" in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 23, 2024, following an attack Friday, for which the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

After Pogadaev saw the reports of gunmen opening fire on concertgoers, he rushed to the site, but couldn’t find her in the numerous ambulances or among the hundreds of people who had made their way out of the venue.

“I went around, searched, I asked everyone, I showed photographs. No one saw anything, no one could say anything,” Pogadaev told AP in a video message.

He watched flames bursting out of the building as he made frantic calls to a hotline for relatives of the victims, but received no information.

As the death toll mounted Saturday, Pogodaev scoured hospitals in the Russian capital and the Moscow region, looking for information on newly admitted patients.

His wife wasn’t among the 182 reported injured, nor on the list of 60 victims authorities had already identified, he said.

The Moscow region’s branch of the Emergency Ministry posted a video Sunday showing equipment dismantling the damaged music venue to give rescuers access.

Putin has called the attack “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and said Russian authorities captured the four suspects as they were trying to escape to Ukraine through a “window” prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border.

Russian media broadcast videos that apparently showed the detention and interrogation of the suspects, including one who told the cameras he was approached by an unidentified assistant to an Islamic preacher via a messaging app and paid to take part in the raid.

Putin didn’t mention IS in his speech to the nation, and Kyiv accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault to stoke fervor for Russia’s fight in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year .

U.S. intelligence officials said they had confirmed the IS affiliate’s claim.

“ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

The U.S. shared information with Russia in early March about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow, and issued a public warning to Americans in Russia, Watson said.

The raid was a major embarrassment for Putin and happened just days after he cemented his grip on the country for another six years in a vote that followed the harshest crackdown on dissent since the Soviet times.

Some commentators on Russian social media questioned how authorities, who have relentlessly suppressed any opposition activities and prosecuted critics, failed to prevent the attack despite the U.S. warnings.

IS, which fought against Russia during its intervention in the Syrian civil war, has long targeted Russia. In a statement posted by the group’s Aamaq news agency, the IS Afghanistan affiliate said that it had attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk.

The group issued a new statement Saturday on Aamaq, saying the attack was carried out by four men who used automatic rifles, a pistol, knives and firebombs. It said the assailants fired at the crowd and used knives to kill some concertgoers, casting the raid as part of the Islamic State group’s ongoing war with countries that it says are fighting against Islam.

In October 2015, a bomb planted by IS downed a Russian passenger plane over Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, most of them Russian vacationers returning from Egypt.

The group, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Africa, also has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Russia’s volatile Caucasus and other regions in past years. It recruited fighters from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.

Moscow concert hall attack leaves at least 60 dead and more than 100 injured, according to Russian authorities

More than 60 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in an attack at a Moscow concert hall, Russian authorities say.

Russia's Investigative Committee said at least five gunmen burst into the Crocus City Hall and sprayed visitors with automatic gunfire, killing and injuring dozens and starting a massive blaze.

The shooting took place just before Soviet-era rock group Picnic was to perform a sold out show at the 6,200-seat theatre in a the suburb of Krasnogorsk, in Moscow's west.

"Suddenly there were bangs behind us — shots. A burst of firing. I do not know what," one witness, who asked not to be identified by name, told Reuters.

"A stampede began. Everyone ran to the escalator.

"Everyone was screaming; everyone was running."

Russian news agency RIA reports that the gunmen are presumably still at large.

The attack, which Russian authorities are investigating as terrorism, is the deadliest in Russia in recent years.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on social media.

A US official said the United States had intelligence confirming the claim, but IS has previously claimed responsibility for attacks it had nothing to do with.

The official said the US had warned Russia in recent weeks about the possibility of an attack.

"We did warn the Russians appropriately," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, without providing any additional details.

Helicopters sought to douse flames that engulfed the large building.

Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyov took to Telegram said that the blaze has been "mostly eliminated".

"There are still some pockets of fire, but the fire has been mostly eliminated. Rescuers were able to enter the auditorium," he said.

The attack came days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.

Image of a member of the Russian National Guard in army attire with a large automatic weapon. His face is covered.

'Terrible tragedy'

"A terrible tragedy occurred in the shopping centre Crocus City today," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

"I am sorry for the loved ones of the victims."

State investigators opened a criminal probe into what they described as a "terror attack".

Russian news reports said that the assailants threw explosives, triggering a massive blaze at the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow. Video posted on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke rising over the building.

The attack took place as crowds gathered for a concert of Picnic, a famed Russian rock band, at the hall that can accommodate more than 6,000 people.

Russian news reports said visitors were being evacuated, but some said an unspecified number of people could have been trapped by the blaze.

The prosecutor's office said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired at visitors.

Extended rounds of gunfire could be heard on multiple videos posted by Russian media and Telegram channels.

One showed two men with rifles moving through the mall.

Another one showed a man inside the auditorium, saying the assailants set it on fire as gunshots rang out incessantly in the background.

More videos showed up to four attackers armed with assault rifles and wearing caps shooting screaming people at point-blank range.

Putin receiving regular updates on shooting

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin was receiving regular updates about the shooting.

"Vladimir Putin was informed about the beginning of the shooting in the first minutes of what happened in Crocus City Hall," the Kremlin said.

"The president constantly receives information about what is happening and about the measures being taken through all relevant services. The head of state gave all the necessary instructions," Mr Peskov said.

Mr Putin also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack, state news agency TASS reported, citing Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova.

Senior Russian security official and ex-president Dmitry Medvedev said the gunmen and those who masterminded the shooting should be hunted down and killed.

Mr Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, made the statement on his official Telegram account.

"All of them must be found and ruthlessly destroyed as terrorists," Mr Medvedev said. "Death for death."

All mass gatherings cancelled

Mr Vorobyov said he was heading to the area and set up a task force to deal with the damage. He did not immediately offer any further details.

Russian media reports said riot police units were being sent to the area as people were being evacuated.

Russian authorities said security was tightened at Moscow's airports and railway stations, while the Moscow mayor cancelled all mass gatherings scheduled for the weekend.

Leaders condemn attack

White House national security adviser John Kirby said on Friday he could not yet speak about all the details of the incident but "the images are just horrible. And just hard to watch".

"Our thoughts are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack," Mr Kirby said.

"There are some mums and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters who haven't gotten the news yet. This is going to be a tough day."

French President Emmanuel Macron said he "strongly condemns the terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State", according to the Élysée Palace.

"France expresses its solidarity with the victims, their loved ones and all the Russian people," the palace said.

UN chief António Guterres "condemns in the strongest possible terms today's terrorist attack at a concert hall outside Moscow, in which at least 40 people were reportedly killed and over 100 others injured", spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Mr Guterres "conveys his deep condolences to the bereaved families and the people and the Government of the Russian Federation," he added.

Four police officers are pictured on a busy road with a lot of emergency service vehicles.

Foiled attack on synagogue

On March 7 the US embassy in Russia warned "extremists" had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow.

The embassy issued its warning several hours after the FSB (Russia's Federal Security Service) said it had foiled an attack on a Moscow synagogue by a cell of Islamic State.

"While events continue to unfold, we strongly recommend that US citizens in Moscow avoid the area, follow the instructions of local security services and keep an eye on local media updates," the US embassy said on Friday.

The warning was repeated by several other Western embassies.

Image of the Crocus City Hall with flames bursting out the roof. A lot of emergency service vehicles parked in front of it.

Previous terror attacks in Russia

Russia was shaken by a series of deadly terror attacks in the early 2000s during fighting with separatists in the Russian province of Chechnya.

In October 2002, Chechen militants took about 800 people hostage at a Moscow theatre. Two days later, Russian special forces stormed the building and 129 hostages and 41 Chechen fighters died, most of them from effects of narcotic gas Russian forces used to subdue the attackers.

And in September 2004, about 30 Chechen militants seized a school in Beslan, in southern Russia, taking hundreds of hostages.

The siege ended in a bloodbath two days later. More than 330 people, about half of them children, were killed.

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TV-G. The Hunt For Russia's Superyachts. For many Russian oligarchs, their superyachts are their most prized assets. But when Russia invaded Ukraine, these superyachts soon became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions by the US, EU and UK. Some yachts were seized, others tried to hide them in a hurry.
The Hunt for Russian Oligarchs' Mega-Yachts Is On
March 3, 2022, 12:22pm. Tweet. Super yacht Dilbar, owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, anchors alongside the cruise ship Queen Victoria on June 08, 2020 in Weymouth, United Kingdom ...
BBC Our World ~ The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts
For many Russian oligarchs, their super-yachts have long been their most prized assets. But when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some of those super-yachts became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions launched by the West. Many yachts were seized or detained, others tried to escape in a hurry and some seemingly disappeared. With an exclusive interview with the head of ...
List of Russian Oligarchs' yachts, homes and assets being ...
The 511-foot "Dilbar" yacht in Weymouth Bay, UK, in June 2020. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images. Germany has impounded the "Dilbar," a superyacht connected to a Russian oligarch in Hamburg ...
The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts
For many Russian oligarchs, their superyachts have long been their most prized assets. But when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some of those superyachts became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions launched by the West. Many yachts were seized or detained, others tried to escape in a hurry and some seemingly disappeared.
The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts (Short 2022)
But when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some of those super-yachts became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions launched by the West. Many yachts were seized or detained, others tried to escape in a hurry and some seemingly disappeared. With an exclusive interview with the head of the US KleptoCapture Task Force, Our ...
Opinion
The superyacht Solaris, linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, travels through Porto Montenegro in Tivat, Montenegro, on March 12. ... Global hunt for Russian billionaires' superyachts won ...
Russian oligarch's yachts
Russian oligarch-linked superyachts that have been or are still moored in Turkey. Vessel name: IMO: MY SOLARIS: 9819820: ECLIPSE: 1009613: GALACTICA SUPER NOVA: 9798234: CLIO: 9312535: PACIFIC: ... reported by the BBC in the "The Hunt for Russia's Superyachts" piece - has actually been dark since it left the port of Tivat on 2 March ...
The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts (movie, 2022)
For many Russian oligarchs, their super-yachts have long been their most prized assets. But when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some of those super-yachts became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions launched by the West. Many yachts were seized or detained, others tried to escape in a hurry and some seemingly disappeared. With an exclusive interview with the head of ...
When Russian Oligarchs' Superyachts Flee Sanctions, Here's ...
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, some superyachts linked to Russian oligarchs left ports in countries where they face sanctions.Here's how authorities...
The Hunt For Russia's Superyachts
For many Russian oligarchs, their superyachts are their most prized assets. But when Russia invaded Ukraine, these superyachts soon became targets for an unprecedented set of sanctions by the US, EU and UK. Some yachts were seized, others tried to hide them in a hurry. This thrilling documentary tells the inside story of the game of cat and mouse between the yacht hunters and Russia's rich set.
Seized Russian Oligarchs' Superyachts Are Still Stuck in Limbo
In August 2021 — about six months before Russia's Ukraine invasion — Russians owned the second-largest share of yachts over 40 meters in length, according to a report from the industry ...
Watch The Hunt For Russia's Superyachts (2022) Online
A game of cat and mouse between superyacht hunters and Russia's superrich oligarchs. Watch The Hunt For Russia's Superyachts (2022) Online | Free Trial | The Roku Channel | Roku
A Brief History of Superyachts
Missing Russian superyachts are spotted waiting out sanctions at Port Azure. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) criticizes Joe Biden for vacationing in Delaware while vacationing on a luxury yacht in Italy.
Despite Wars And Sanctions, Superyacht Market Continues Recent ...
Target: Russia Beginning in the early 2000s, Russian billionaires developed a taste for luxury superyachts, with some like Roman Abramovich (who is reported to own 16 vessels, including the ...
Moscow attack: 'The Russian population seems doomed to endure the
Russia's beliefs and ideas have never really changed since 1991. An analysis of its speeches and archives would have enabled the West to avoid many unpleasant surprises.
Inside the capture of a Russian oligarch's superyacht
The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts. The inside story of the game of cat and mouse between some of the world's most powerful nations and some of Russia's richest men.
Moscow attack: Jeremy Hunt cautious of Putin's 'smokescreen of ...
Russia's National Guard and more than 50 ambulance crews arrived at the scene shortly after the first reports of the attack at around 6pm. But the blaze raged for more than one hour while firemen ...
The Hunt For Russia's Superyachts
For many Russian oligarchs, their superyachts are their most prized assets. But when Russia invaded Ukraine, these superyachts soon became targets for…
Putin wishes 'speedy recovery' to victims of Moscow shooting
The death toll made it one of the worst attacks on Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, when Islamist militants took more than 1,000 people hostage, including hundreds of children.
The hunt for superyachts of sanctioned Russian oligarchs
The hunt for superyachts of sanctioned Russian oligarchs. 6 April 2022. By Reality Check team,BBC News. WATCH: Protesters block superyacht linked to Abramovich at Bodrum. A superyacht linked to ...
Jeremy Hunt says UK should 'absolutely' be concerned about Islamic
Russia-Ukraine latest: Kyiv under Russian air attack Asked if there was a chance of the UK's threat level being raised, Mr Hunt said this was decided by a "special system" in government, and said ...
Moscow concert hall attack: 2 of 4 suspects charged admit guilt
MOSCOW (AP) — Four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people appeared before a Moscow court Sunday on terrorism charges showing signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing. Court statements said two of the suspects accepted their guilt in the assault, though the men's condition raised questions about whether ...
Hunt on for gunmen after Moscow concert hall attack leaves at least 60
Russian news reports said that the assailants threw explosives, triggering a massive blaze at the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow. Video posted on social media showed huge plumes of ...

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A game of cat and mouse with Russia's superrich oligarchs.

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Here are the superyachts seized from Russian oligarchs

The Hunt For Russia’s Superyachts

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The Hunt for Russian Oligarchs’ Mega-Yachts Is On

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Real estate linked to Petr Aven valued at $4.4 million in Sardinia, Italy

Real estate and vehicles linked to Alisher Usmanov valued at $72 million in Italy

March 15, 2022

“Valerie” linked to Sergei Chemezov valued at $140 million in Barcelona, Spain

March 11, 2022

March 4, 2022

Real estate linked to Vladimir Soloviev valued at $8.7 million in Como, Italy

Real estate linked to Alisher Usmanov valued at $18 million in Arzachena, Italy

“Lena” linked to Gennady Timchenko valued at $55 million in San Remo, Italy

“Lady M” linked to Alexey Mordaschov valued at $71 million in Imperia, Italy

March 3, 2022

The Hunt for the Russian Superyachts

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