Cast off the lines! by Novaya Gazeta Europe

This is the story of how Russian oligarchs tried to escape the sanctions. Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, a significant part of the Russian establishment has been on sanctions lists of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. The West has launched a hunt for the oligarchs' assets, including their superyachts.

Since February 24, 2014, when the war began, European authorities managed to arrest 16 yachts, which are associated with people close to the Kremlin.

Using data provided by MarineTraffic, our team analyzed almost 5 million kilometers of routes of 27 yachts of Russian oligarchs and officials over the last 14 years. We figured out how they got away from the sanctions, where they liked to spend their time before the war, and where the "white spots" came from the superyacht routes.