logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
17m 28s

Superyachts and sanctions

Bbc World Service
About this episode

A race is on to spot and catch some of the world's biggest and most dazzling yachts owned by Russian oligarchs with ties to President Vladimir Putin in retaliation for the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Several of these multi-million dollar floating assets have been seized by US and European governments. But it's proving difficult to track the vessels, and then there is the issue of what to do with them, often with crew of up to 60 personnel on board. Ed Butler talks to sanctions lawyer Nigel Kushner of WLegal, Alex Finley, writer, former CIA officer and superyacht watcher, Graham Barrow a veteran money-laundering expert and journalist Jack Hogan of Superyacht News.

(Image:Luxury yachts and motor cruisers moored in Port Vell, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Yesterday
Business Daily meets: Allan Kilavuka
From taking on the role of Kenya Airways' CEO in the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, to leading the company to profitability after years of financial turbulence, we hear the difficult decisions Allan Kilavuka has made during his time at the helm of one of Africa’s largest airlines ... Show More
17m 28s
Aug 27
The global trade in stolen phones
We investigate smartphone thefts - which are rising in number in some major cities. What's the impact, and where are the phones going? And how can people protect themselves?If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, email us at businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced ... Show More
17m 29s
Aug 26
Making a career from golf in Africa
As the continent aims to grow the sport, we hear from professional golfers who say they’re having to take on other jobs because there’s not enough money in the sport yet. Would a more organised competition structure, with more regular competitions, offer more opportunities to win ... Show More
17m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Tracking Russian Oligarch Yachts
Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, who now is a novelist and a writer. Most recently, though, Alex has taken up a different task. She is the leader of #YachtWatch, an effort to track down and monitor the movements of massive yachts belonging t ... Show More
28m 55s
May 2022
Billionaire ball game
James Montague, award-winning author of the The Billionaire’s Club, tells the story of how the super-rich bought English football and Chelsea FC became a sanctioned asset. From Putin’s oligarchs to hyper-capitalist Americans and oil-rich Middle Eastern royal families, James explo ... Show More
50m 51s
Jul 2022
The Russian Millionaire Driving Medicine to Ukraine
Once the richest man in Russia under 35, mobile phone tycoon Evgeny Chichvarkin explains why he needed to sell his company and escape Putin’s Russia in 2008. Settled in London, he’s now personally delivering aid to Ukraine.Organised crime expert Misha Glenny and the BBC Russian S ... Show More
34m 54s
Sep 2022
Russian citizens leave country to escape the military mobilisation
Large numbers of Russian citizens are trying to leave the country to escape the military mobilisation announced by Vladimir Putin. Direct flights to visa-free countries are sold out, and long queues of cars are lining up at the borders. Professor Nikolai Petrov, Senior Research F ... Show More
50m 39s
Mar 2022
Russian banks hobbled by sanctions
US officials say Moscow has asked Beijing for military equipment to support its invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s army celebrates its Turkish drones but Ankara plays down weapons sales to appease Moscow, Russia has ratcheted up the chances that it will default on its debt with a thr ... Show More
10m 14s
Mar 2022
Crude Prices Surge, Pres. Biden and a Ban on Russian Oil Imports, Companies Feeling Pressure to Stop Doing Business in Russia, and What to Make of the "Treacherous" Markets.
Carl Quintanilla, David Faber and Mike Santoli led the show with news that sparked a surge in crude oil prices: President Biden set to announce a U.S. ban on Russian oil and gas exports. The anchors took a closer look at the latest companies to take actions against Russia because ... Show More
43m 29s
Feb 2023
So far, Russia sanctions get a C+ for effectiveness
Nearly a year on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the sanctions regime imposed on Vladimir Putin’s regime by the West and its allies looks to be less effective than initially hoped. According to Brooke Harrington, a professor at Dartmouth, that’s been due in part to the difficu ... Show More
7m 47s