Putin's super-yacht Graceful spotted off Denmark, heading to Istanbul

A luxury yacht linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin was spotted off the coast of Denmark on Monday evening, June 29. Danish broadcaster DR reported the sighting, citing vessel-tracking service MarineTraffic. The independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo reported that Istanbul is listed as the yacht’s destination.

The yacht, named Graceful and later renamed Kosatka, had been off radar since August 30, 2022, after Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine. Its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder was switched off. The vessel is now traveling in a convoy accompanied by a Russian destroyer and the patrol boat Voyevoda, according to DR. Onlookers on shore took photographs confirming the yacht’s identity, and the convoy is also visible in satellite imagery.

In October 2022, Forbes reported that the Graceful had been spotted off the Estonian coast, heading toward St. Petersburg. Prior to that, the vessel had been in Kaliningrad, where it was moved from Germany before the war began. Journalists noted that the yacht had been given a new name — Kosatka.

The 82-meter Graceful is considered the second-largest yacht used by the Russian president, after the 140-meter Scheherazade. It was previously spotted in Sochi on several occasions when Putin was there. Estimates place the yacht’s value between $100 million and $120 million.

In June 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on four yachts linked to the Russian president, including the Graceful. A month earlier, the Scheherazade had been detained in Italy’s Tuscany region. Local investigators said the vessel’s owner had ties to Russian authorities. Both yachts had appeared in investigations by Alexei Navalny’s team.