Brutal sanctions just keep coming down harder and harder on the country of Russia in an aggressive attempt from the West to staunch the cash flow Russian dictatorial President Vladimir Putin needs to keep his violent, senseless, devastating war against Ukraine going — and it’s really making the lives of Russian billionaires super hard.
Over the days and weeks since Putin’s unhinged invasion and attack against Ukraine, we’ve published several reports on the effects of the aggressive sanctions against assets belonging to some of Russia’s most rich and powerful and their desperate attempts to avoid the personal repercussions of the war — such as one Russian oligarch who ordered that his superyacht be immediately sailed to Turkey, another billionaire’s massive vessel that has apparently conveniently and suddenly just up and vanished, and one $700 million boat docked in Italy that some officials believe may even belong to none other than Vladimir Putin himself.
But if the sanctions weren’t bad enough already, it seems the punishments from the West aren’t the only thing giving Russia’s richest some serious problems right now. According to a bombshell new report from the New York Times, even those who have yet to be personally slammed with brutal sanctions are running up against a different, but equally troubling little problem — everyone fucking hates them.
Per the new Times report Vladimir Strzhalkovsky — a high-profile Russian oligarch who raked in millions in nickel mining, former KGB agent, former Russian deputy minister of economy, and longtime close associate to Russian dictator Putin himself — has found his 223-foot superyacht, dubbed Ragnar, stranded in a Norwegian port after local oil suppliers flat out refused to refuel the massive vessel because of Strzhalkovsky’s direct close ties to Putin.
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As it stands, this particular Russian oligarch has yet to find himself on the E.U.’s list of oligarchs to be sanctioned, but locals in the northern Norway port city of Narvik couldn’t care less as they reportedly take it upon themselves to serve Strzhalkovsky a bit of the punishment they feel he deserves.
Speaking with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, oil supplier Sven Holmlund fumed, “Why should we help them? They can row home. Or use a sail.”
Politicians in Norway have aggressively called for the confiscation of the custom-built vessel belonging to the notable Russian oligarch, but officials have told NKR that it’s just not possible without a directive from the E.U., as it’s against the law.
The boat’s captain, on the other hand, seems to have his feathers quite ruffled over the whole ordeal.
In a message shared by both NKR and NPR, Ragnar’s captain, Robert Lankester, wrote, “We find the discrimination towards us extremely unjust.”
Strzhalkovsky was reportedly the recipient of the largest ever severance payout in the country of Russia when he received a golden parachute payout of $100 million back in 2012 following his resignation as CEO of the Norilsk Nickel mining company after just four years.
Read the full report from the Times here.
Featured image via Max Pixel Public Domain
