Putin's £100 million yacht is leaving Europe due to the threat of an attack from Ukraine, according to The Telegraph
The superyacht Graceful, which has been linked to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, is leaving European waters and heading for Murmansk in the Arctic.
According to the publication, the 82-meter vessel, valued at approximately 100 million pounds sterling, is sailing along the coast of Norway under heavy security.
The yacht is covered with anti-drone netting, is being escorted by two Russian military ships, and is heading toward the Russian port of Murmansk.
The vessel’s security is being provided by the destroyer “Severomorsk” and the 7,500-metric-ton rescue and patrol ship “Voevoda.”
A high-ranking source in NATO reported that the convoy’s movements are under constant monitoring by the Alliance. While transiting the Baltic Sea, the vessels were also escorted by ships from the German and Danish navies.
According to U.S. government documents, Vladimir Putin has repeatedly used the yacht Graceful for personal trips, including in 2021 during a voyage across the Black Sea with Alexander Lukashenko.
The vessel is equipped with saltwater and freshwater pools, a helipad, a gym, and secure government communications systems.
Seventeen days before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the yacht was transferred from the German shipyard Blohm & Voss in Hamburg to Kaliningrad.
After U.S. sanctions were imposed, the vessel was renamed “Kosatka.”
According to The Telegraph, the yacht had not been seen in public for nearly four years.
Only recently did the Automatic Identification System (AIS) detect it passing through the Danish Straits, after which the signal disappeared as it entered the North Sea.
Meanwhile, the escort vessel “Voevoda” continued to transmit coordinates, allowing the convoy’s route to be tracked along the Norwegian coast to Murmansk.
The publication links the yacht’s movement to successful strikes by Ukrainian drones on Russian naval facilities.
In particular, just a week ago, Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian Navy base in Kronstadt, where the warship “Boyky” was struck.
Following these attacks, as satellite images show, the Kronstadt naval base has become significantly emptier—the number of ships there has decreased considerably compared to the same period last year.
Previously, Ukrainian drones also attacked the Russian ships “Gepard,” “Tatarstan,” and “Dagestan,” as well as other vessels in the Caspian Sea.
According to The Telegraph, following a series of successful Ukrainian strikes, the Kremlin decided to move its most valuable naval assets away from potential danger, acknowledging the vulnerability of even well-protected facilities.
According to The Telegraph, the threat of attacks by Ukrainian drones may have been the reason for this decision.
Strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on military and industrial targets within Russia are the most effective way to make the Russian government and society feel the consequences of the war.
Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s key energy infrastructure are increasingly disrupting fuel supplies and military logistics, bringing the country closer to a full-scale fuel crisis.
The economic situation in Russia is worsening as financial reserves are being depleted. According to Janis Kluge, an analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, following a significant increase in the first half of 2026, military and intelligence spending now accounts for nearly half of all government expenditures. At the same time, the liquid assets of Russia’s National Welfare Fund have shrunk from 7% of GDP at the beginning of 2022 to just 1.7% of GDP as of April, indicating that the Kremlin’s financial resources—not just its fuel reserves—are running dry, writes Politico.
As a result of a massive Russian strike on the capital, a leased humanitarian warehouse belonging to the Ukrainian Red Cross was completely destroyed; it had stored more than 320,000 items of cargo and equipment with a total value of over 79 million hryvnias.
As a result of Russian shelling and a fire at one of the capital’s enterprises, fuel and lubricants flowed into Kyrylivskyi Lake in Kyiv through the storm sewer system.
