US seizes yacht owned by oligarch with close ties to Putin

By FRANCISCO UBILLA, ARITZ PARRA and MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press

PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain (AP) — The U.S. government has seized a 254-foot yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s a first by the Biden administration under sanctions imposed after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and targeting pricey assets of Russian elites. Law enforcement officers descended on the Tango on Monday morning at the Marina Real in the port of Palma de Mallorca. Associated Press reporters at the scene saw police going in and out of the boat. According to Treasury Department documents, the yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close Putin ally who heads a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets.