Putin’s £73 MILLION superyacht named Graceful seen leaving German port ahead of possible sanctions over Ukraine crisis
VLADIMIR Putin’s superyacht has been spotted leaving a German port before possible Western sanctions over Ukraine are implemented.
The £73.2million yacht, named Graceful, had been at the Blohm Voss shipyard since September to be cleaned and for an overhaul.
The vessel was seen in the Kiel Canal a few hours after leaving Hamburg port - and is now reportedly in the Baltic Sea.
German daily newspaper Bild said that the move "was obviously an escape for fear of being arrested".
Graceful contains all the trappings you'd expect inside a luxury yacht including the leader's very own office and indoor swimming pool.
The yacht's move comes as tensions escalate between NATO member states and Russia over the Ukraine.
NATO forces have reported a significant Russian buildup on the border with the Ukraine, with estimates putting the number of troops stationed there at over 110,000.
NATO member states including Spain, Denmark, France, and the United States have sent military equipment and personnel to the Ukraine to act as a deterrent.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said in a statement that Ukraine should not try to join the European Union or NATO.
But President Emmanuel Macron has recently said that President Putin has given him personal assurances over the Ukraine, after the French president met with the Russian leader in a bid to defuse tensions.
Mr Macron said there needed to be a useful response for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Mr Putin hailed France’s role in shaping European security.
And the United States has threatened severe sanctions should the Russians invade the Ukraine.
There is also contention over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to transport gas from Russia to Europe in a move that would bypass the Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden has said that if Russia invades the Ukraine, there will be no more Nord Stream 2 and the project will be shut down.
Meanwhile civilians in Ukraine have been attending open military training as some 200,000 fully equipped Russian troops mass on its borders.
The besieged country has increased exercises amid fears an invasion may come “at any time”.
