By The Moscow Times | Created at 2024-11-29 14:55:20 | Updated at 2024-12-04 19:35:38
5 days ago
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council and a vocal critic of Western nations, has reportedly purchased a 3.5-million-pound ($4.4 million) luxury yacht manufactured in the United Kingdom.
The vessel, named Hurry Up, was produced by Plymouth-based Princess Yachts in 2024 and imported into Russia through a foundation allegedly linked to Medvedev, according to the investigative outlet The Insider.
The foundation, known as the Foundation for the Support of National Maritime Programs, facilitated the import through a related company, documents reveal.
The foundation is headed by Dmitry Ustratov, an associate of Ilya Yeliseyev, a long-time confidant of Medvedev and overseer of his financial interests.
Although the foundation received 2.3 billion rubles ($21.2 million) in donations in 2023, its philanthropic efforts appear modest. Media reports suggest its most publicized initiative was providing kayaking equipment to a youth organization in the Moscow-occupied Kherson region of Ukraine.
Medvedev, known for his lavish lifestyle, already owns a fleet of luxury yachts. These include the Italian-built GV, valued at 4 million pounds and the Universe, a 74-meter megayacht worth an estimated 82 million pounds.
The Universe boasts features such as a helipad and secure communications systems and is reportedly financed by oligarch Igor Yusufov via an offshore entity in the Cayman Islands.
His latest reported acquisition stands in stark contrast to Medvedev’s fiery rhetoric against the U.K.
He recently labeled Britain a “perennial enemy” of Russia and claimed it could be “wiped off the map” by Russian missiles.
This article was first published by bne IntelliNews.
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