ZAGREB, 16 March 2022 - A temporary injunction prohibiting the use and departure of three yachts from Croatian ports has been issued on suspicion that they are connected with persons on the sanctions list released after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Croatia's Sea Transport and Infrastructure Ministry stated on Wednesday.

The yachts are moored in the marina of Betina, the ACI marina in Skradin, and the port of Rijeka.

The injunction is in compliance with the restrictions adopted by the European Union in response to the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and extended to include certain individuals.

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March the 15th, 2022 - State Secretary Stjepan Curaj has stated that there are currently six ''suspicious yachts which are tied to Russians'' moored in various Croatian ports.

As Morski writes, State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Stjepan Curaj, spoke recently about sanctions put in place against Russians close to Vladimir Putin's regime on RTL. He said that out of a total of 950 oligarchs on the list under current European Union (EU) sanctions, 680 of them were detected on February the 23rd, 2022, as those with direct or indirect ties to the Republic of Croatia.

Stjepan Curaj claimed that it is difficult to talk about the estimated value of their assets and property, and when it comes to movables, he says that six potentially suspicious yachts have been detected moored in Croatian waters and that the procedure surrounding all of that information is ongoing.

He also spoke about the case of a yacht in Betina on the island of Murter, and Stjepan Curaj said that he doesn't know specifically whether it is owned by someone on the infamous list, but in addition to Murter, he says, there are other ports in which this is an issue. He explained the procedure and stated that when it is determined that it is owned or under the control of a person placed on the Russian sanction list, then it is frozen and the Harbor Master's Office prohibits its release and departure. He assumes that this will be the case in Betina as well.

He also mentioned the yacht in Rijeka, which is well-known in the media and which we recently wrote about, and confirmed that it has indeed been frozen.

When asked about sound names involved, he said that Abramovich is the most famous of them all, and when asked if tycoon Vekselberg, who operates down in Dubrovnik and whose property and assets are currently blocked by the USA, is on the list, he claimd that he is on the American list.

As for the consequences for the businesses owned and carried out by these people, and thus for their employees, the Secretary of State says that there is a procedure and clear guidelines. “We need to clearly separate the company from the owner, in that the owner can’t use their company economically and have any financial benefits from it, but we also need to allow it to work because that’s our goal,” he explained.

Finally, he answered the question surrounding confiscated property and the idea coming from Britain to put that property into the function of receiving and caring for Ukrainian refugees. Stjepan Curaj said that sanctions against Russia are prescribed by the 2014 provision and it determines that all property be frozen and be made unable to be used for anything else. If we were to decide to adopt Britain's idea and use it in another way, he says the provision should be changed.

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March the 3rd, 2022 - Rijeka Port is currently home to the former yacht of one of Russian President's Vladimir Putin's friends, and news of that hasn't gone down too well on social media, with some commenting that it should be burned.

As Jurica Gaspar/Morski writes, one of the world's most luxurious yachts, the Royal Romance, was owned by Ukrainian lawyer and businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, a man close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This yacht is far from a stranger to the Croatian coast, quite on the contrary, the captain of the ship is from Croatia. It is currently moored in the Rijeka Port.

Yachts belonging to both Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs closely linked to Vladimir Putin are the target of sanctions across Europe and the rest of the world, and many owners are panicking about where to store their floating wealth. It seems that the angry Ukrainians whose country was attacked also noticed this, and there has been quite a disturbing call on social media for this yacht to be set alight in the Rijeka Port.

"The Royal Romance yacht is in Rijeka!'' ''The boss is a sponsor of the war in Ukraine!'' ''His money is being spent on war and rockets!'' ''The boss is Putin's buddy and now he has fled Ukraine.'' ''This yacht needs to be set on fire!'' were just some of the comments published on the Facebook group "Ukrainians in Croatia", below which are messages of support, and even instructions on how to correctly throw a Molotov cocktail. However, there are also a few more creative comments, such as using the impressive vessel to accommodate refugees from Ukraine or to sell it and direct the money to support the Armed Forces fighting in Ukraine.

Since the message was published on social media and threats were being made towards the vessel in the Rijeka Port where a Croatian crew is taking care of things, the Rijeka police were asked, who were asked if the vessel was under special police protection and whether or not local police have an insight into these or similar threats, but they couldn't answer this over the phone, so same inquiry was then sent in writing.

In the meantime, the captain of the Royal Romance yacht, Bubica Saric, made contact, saying the following:

''The yacht was sold back in March last year and is no longer owned by the aforementioned person, because if it had, it would have been in Monaco, where it was before,'' he said, answering that he can't reveal who the current owner is. He is angry, he added, because of the public name-calling of the yacht in the capacity of the former owner, because that puts his crew in danger.

This ''skyscraper at sea'' was owned by Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch and a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Superyachtfan provides some interesting information about him, and among other things, it can be learned that Medvedchuk is the founder of a law firm based in Kiev, which is currently under siege. He is also known as one of the members of the so-called ''Kyiv Seven'' group, made up of seven very successful businessmen: Medvedchuk, Valentin Zhursky, Grigory and Igor Surkis, Bohdan Hubsky, Yuri Karpenko and Yuri Lijah, who died in 2004.

The K7 Group's business background began way back in 1992 through offshore companies, which imported oil into Ukraine to sell it internally.

Viktor Medvedchuk is, among other things, a pro-Russian politician who was arrested last year and allegedly escaped from house arrest amid Russian aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko confirmed on Sunday, although Medvedchuk's lawyer denied the allegations.

Medvedchuk, the leader of Ukraine's opposition Platform - For Life, was under house arrest after authorities launched treason proceedings against him, according to Reuters and according to usnews.com. He, of course, rejects such accusations. Medvedchuk's lawyer said that this client was forced to relocate the site due to threats from nationalist groups and informed authorities.

The luxury yacht Royal Romance is a frequent guest of the Rijeka Port, and it can accommodate 14 guests and is cared for by 22 crew members.

The yacht is 93 metres long, 14.3 metres wide, is designed to accommodate 14 guests in seven luxury cabins, and is cared for by as many as 22 crew members. The vessel has a maximum speed of 15 knots, has a draft of 3.85 metres, and the luxury facilities it boasts include teak decks, a gym, elevators connecting a total of five decks and a 12-metre pool with a waterfall on the upper deck.

It is a vessel that is on the list of the 100 best yachts in the world of all time and was built in the Dutch shipyard Feadship, which specialises in the construction of luxury vessels. It is powered by two 3,000-horsepower diesel engines. The yacht is reportedly used exclusively for private purposes and is not so easily rented out unless you're close to the owner or his wealthy elite circle.

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