Russian oligarch’s megayacht spotted in Turkey

MUĞLA

Solaris, a megayacht that is worth $560 million and belongs to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, has been spotted on Turkish waters after it sailed off from Montenegro.

Sailing under a Bermuda flag, the yacht left a Barcelona shipyard where it had been undergoing repairs on March 8 and then headed toward Montenegro’s Adriatic resort town of Tivat on March 13.

After stopping by off the Greek island of Crete last week, the 140-meter yacht finally came off Turkey’s Aegean province of Muğla’s Datça coasts, according to Marine Traffic, a monitoring site.

Last week, a private jet belonging to Abramovich had arrived in Istanbul from Israel, shortly after he was seen in a Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, but it was not known whether he was among the passengers.

The Russian billionaire had been disqualified as a Chelsea director by the Premier League board after the British government sanctioned the billionaire following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

There is also speculation that Abramovich might be planning a more permanent move to Turkey and could start his own football team.

British daily The Telegraph alleges that Abramovich may make a bid for İzmir-based football club Göztepe, which hasn’t won a league title since the 1950s.