Putin-Linked $100M Yacht Flees St. Petersburg with Anti-Drone Netting Amid Ukrainian Strikes Threat

The Graceful yacht, which US authorities have linked to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has moved from the Baltic Sea to Severomorsk, the main base of Russia’s Northern Fleet, Danish broadcaster DR reported after analyzing satellite images and MarineTraffic navigation data on July 9.

According to DR, the yacht passed through Danish waters in a convoy with the Russian destroyer Severomorsk and a third Russian vessel of the Voevoda class.

On June 28, the group of vessels, with the yacht reportedly covered in anti-drone nets, left the Baltic Sea and was spotted approaching Danish waters.

In June 2026, the yacht switched on its AIS automatic identification system for the first time since August 2022. Its initial listed destination was Istanbul.

However, on June 30, the vessel turned off its AIS transponder in the Skagerrak Strait. After crossing the Baltic and North Seas, the Voevoda briefly reappeared on tracking systems on July 5, about 70 kilometers from the military port in Murmansk.

Before leaving its previous location near St. Petersburg, the Graceful and its escort vessels had either remained docked or operated only inside the Baltic Sea.

A special covered complex was also built in Lomonosov, near St. Petersburg, to provide a hidden berth for yachts linked to Putin.

DR analyzed a satellite image of the Severomorsk port and compared the vessel seen there with technical data and images from H2 Yacht Design, the company behind Graceful.

The ship’s length and width, along with distinctive features such as the location of the helipad and the shape of the bow, matched available information about Graceful.

The yacht is estimated to have cost around $100-120 million.

Flemming Splidsboel Hansen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said one possible explanation for the move is that Putin wanted the yacht safely moved out of the St. Petersburg area in the Baltic Sea, as Ukraine has developed drones and missiles capable of reaching more targets than before.

“My assessment is that the Ukrainians have the capability to attack a target like this ship. We have seen drone attacks deep inside Russia, including along the Baltic Sea coast in St. Petersburg,” Hansen said.

Earlier, a second luxury superyacht linked to the family and inner circle of Russian leader Vladimir Putin has left Russian waters and departed for Turkey.

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