The Russian investigative project Dossier found two superyachts allegedly used by Russian President Putin and his entourage. This is the 71-meter Victoria and the 38-meter boat Orion, which accompanies her.
Victoria was built at the shipyards of the Sevmash military plant. The yacht is currently being serviced in Istanbul at a shipyard that repairs superyachts and builds warships for Turkey.
According to journalists, the Victoria is the largest ship in the Black Sea, which is associated with Putin. It is also the only yacht associated with Putin that left Russian territorial waters after the beginning of the Russian invasion.
There is no direct documentary evidence of the connection between Putin and the yacht. However, Dossier notes, there are indirect confirmations. For example, Victoria is based in Sochi and regularly visits Cape Idokopas, where Putinʼs palace is located. Their connection is also indicated by the history of the shipʼs construction: the yacht was laid down in 2005 at the Sevmash military plant, which produces nuclear submarines. The formal owner of the vessel is the Payer company, and it is managed by Fazar-Invest. Both companies are part of the group of legal entities of the Russian billionaire and friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko.
The Dossier center also found photos near the ship in the VKontakte account of Alina Kabaevaʼs friend Natalia Belugina. They were published in August 2020.
The value of the ship, indicated in the customs declaration in 2019, is $50.1 million. Victoria has two master cabins on board and can accommodate 28 people. Backgammon for 321,000 rubles ($3,600), chess for 146,000 rubles ($1,700), beach towels for 216,000 rubles ($2,400) and television with a connected package of channels for children were bought for passengers.
The yacht was completed in 2019. After that, she was driven to Turkey — to the AES Yachts shipyard, where she was launched. Since October 26, the vessel has been in the hangar of the Desan company, which has a license to work with military technologies.
- Before that, Putin had a 140-meter yacht "Scheherazade", but in May 2022, Italy arrested it. The yacht ranks 13th in the world in terms of length. The vessel was arrested due to the fact that it most likely belongs to the President of the Russian Federation, Putin — employees of the federal security service constantly fly to the yacht on business trips. This department is responsible for protecting Putin and organizing his life.