Close to Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, the supposed owner of the “Ragnar”, has not been targeted by Western sanctions since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But no supplier agrees to sell him the fuel that would allow the boat to leave the port where it is stationed in northern Norway.
the Ragnar will he finally weigh anchor? Immobilized in the Arctic, this ultra-luxurious yacht, supposedly owned by a Russian oligarch ex-KGB officer, may have found some of the fuel that the Norwegians have been refusing it for weeks in response to the war in Ukraine. The imposing ship detonates in the port of Narvik, a small town in northern Norway. With its inverted bow, its helicopter platform and, a bit like the matryoshka dolls, this other big boat resting on its rear deck, its dark gray silhouette contrasts with that of the cargo ships that have come to load minerals.
But it is above all the identity of its owner that makes it a local curiosity: the yacht belongs to Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, according to various specialized sites. Having become extremely wealthy after a juicy stint at the head of the mining giant Norilsk Nickel, this 67-year-old businessman is said to have links with Vladimir Putin, with whom he served for the KGB in Saint Petersburg, when the city was still called Leningrad. .
“Let them row home”
If he is not on the list of Russians targeted by European sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine, his supposed proximity to the head of the Kremlin is horrifying. When the Ragnar needed to refuel in Narvik where he had stopped on February 15, no one there wanted to sell him fuel. “I have no sympathy for the conduct of the Russians in Ukraine. Why should we help them? argued the manager of one of the local suppliers, Sven Holmlund. “Let them row home. Or that they hoist the sails”he said to the Norwegian channel NRK.
Unable to return to its home port in Malta, the 68-meter yacht, which would house a whole bunch of toys (amphibious craft, jet-skis, underwater robots and snowmobiles, giant slide, English pub, etc.), has been ordered to remain at the quay for five weeks now. There, he saw NATO warships taking part in major military maneuvers, as part of the Cold Response 2022 exercise, which is currently taking place in Norway. This week, the Russian oligarch’s ship even shared its pontoon with… the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The captain of the yacht, a former Royal Marine, has lost his British composure. In a note he taped in the port, Rob Lankaster said to himself “very disappointed with the double standard” of his Norwegian hosts who agree to supply Russian trawlers but not the yacht he commands, at the head of an entirely Western crew and whose owner he claims not to know. According to the Superyacht fan site, the Ragnar is also for sale for some 69.5 million euros.
Equipment this Tuesday?
The case embarrasses the Norwegian authorities, who have aligned themselves with almost all of the sanctions adopted by the European Union, but who are generally reluctant to irritate their powerful neighbor Russia. No question of seizing the yacht, as France, Italy or Spain did, since Vladimir Strzhalkovsky is not among the sanctioned personalities.
Without wanting to openly encourage suppliers to change their position, the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries, Bjornar Skjæran, nevertheless seemed to send signals in this direction. “We can all agree that the best thing today would be for the yacht to be able to continue on its way”, he told NRK. According to the chain, a supplier has finally agreed to sell 300,000 liters of diesel, which would allow a departure on Tuesday.
In the port of Narvik, a tanker is actually waiting near the Ragnar and the crew of the boat, which would have 16 members, seems to be in full preparation, noted AFP. But tongues are hardly loosened. Only a Briton, who seems to hold managerial positions, agrees to answer a few questions laconically. A departure on Tuesday? At first no. Why ? Obscure fuel filling problems. Impossible to find out more. “This whole situation is absurd”he said.