The NATO countries’ swift move against Russian assets in the West apparently caught Putin and his pals by surprise.
You can’t uproot a Miami mansion or Manhattan penthouse, of course, but superyachts are at least somewhat mobile (although the bigger the boat, the harder it is to secure a berth), although it takes time to gas them up and lay enough enough food supplies for an extended voyage.
Too much time, it turned out. Here’s a list, with pretty pictures, of Russian yachts whose owners won’t be entertaining on them again.
Putin has vowed to seize assets of Western companies doing business in Russia as retaliation. “The Kremlin aims to take control of businesses with foreign ownership … and then auction them off to Russian investors,” The Hill reported here.
You can be sure ordinary Russians won’t get to bid; they didn’t have any money anyway, and now they have even less. These assets will go to Putin’s pals, the same people deprived of their superyachts. So in exchange for “Dilbar” (512 feet), “Amore Vero” (282 feet), or “Lady M” (215 feet), they’ll get a McDonald’s (or what’s left of it) in Kyiv, Kharkiv, or Kherson. Not exactly an even trade, but beggars aren’t choosers.
It’s the least Putin could do for them, after what he did to them.
