Only 6% of Russian oligarchs’ yachts sailed across the Mediterranean after EU sanctions, the CEO of a ship-tracking data company says

Only 6% of Russian oligarchs’ yachts sailed across the Mediterranean after EU sanctions, the CEO of a ship-tracking data company says

The number of Russian oligarchs' superyachts crossing the Mediterranean after EU sanctions has dropped to 6%, according to a data analytics firm. John Lusk, CEO of Spire, told Insider in an interview that his company's satellite data found that activity of Russian oligarchs' yachts in the Mediterranean Sea fell from 19% in March to April in 2019 and 2020 to 6% in the same period this year, when the West started imposing sanctions over the Ukraine war. "Historically, we've seen a large percentage of these yachts playing in the Mediterranean Sea," Lusk said, adding that there's been a "really sharp decline" this year in this trend. "Roughly a fifth of them were going into the Mediterranean Sea doing whatever they do — playing, partying, whatever happens on a superyacht," Lusk said. The majority of yachts owned by Russian oligarchs have avoided heading to countries in the Mediterranean, including Italy, France, and Spain, as the European Union has cracked down on sanctions and tried to make it easier to seize luxury assets, Lusk said. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, many Russian oligarchs' vessels have sailed to destinations such as Montenegro, Turkey, Dubai, and places in the Indian Ocean, according