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Putin's Superyacht Makes Dark Run To Special Facility Near St. Petersburg
OSINT. There are indications that a special facility for superyachts has been built at Lomonosov outside St Petersburg, Russia following the Ukraine Invasion. This provides a discrete home for these luxury yachts owned by Oligarchs and, in this case, President Putin himself.
Putin's Superyacht Graceful left Kaliningrad, where it had run to before the Ukraine Invasion, in September. It was observed, sporting a Russian flag and the name ' Косатка' (Russian for Killer Whale/Orca), off Estonia on September 26. For simplicity I shall refer to her as Graceful.
The transit was not broadcast on AIS (automated identification system) so we have had to use other methods to track her. Analysis of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows that it is now at a new facility near St. Petersburg.
Photo: Blohm+Voss
The new facility is at Lomonosov, just inside the outer defences and the protective citadel of Kronshtadt Navy Base. The old pier, used by merchant ships, was rebuilt earlier this year, just after the start of the Ukraine War. It has since been used by a luxury yacht, and now Graceful.
In satellite imagery available through Google Earth another ~55 meter yacht is seen there together with a fleet of cars.
CLICK to Enlarge. The site at Lomonosov was rapidly upgraded in April 2022 following the invasion. These satellite images show the work. Note that the yacht seen is smaller than Graceful.
Although the September 8 Sentinel-2 satellite imagery is cloudy, the larger 82 meter long Graceful shows up in the same position.
Graceful is unusual in being built at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk. The yard, in Russia's Arctic North, is better associated with warships and submarines. For finishing however the yacht was sent to Blohm+Voss in Germany. Graceful is powered by two German MTU engines giving her a top speed of 18 knots (cruising speed 14 knots). She has a range of over 4,000 nautical miles.
Hidden within her hull, behind discrete outer doors, is a hangar for smaller boats or submersibles.
Graceful seen transiting the Bosporus towards the Black Sea, 2018. Note the long hangar doors at the aft. Photo Yörük Işık (Twitter)
It is plausible that the new facility at Lomonosov is directly related to the sanctions following the Ukraine invasion. This created a need for a safe home for President Putin's personal yacht, and a other Oligarch yachts.
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