The family of former Ukrainian deputy Viktor Medvedchuk, who is often referred to as "Putin's godfather" in the media, acquired a new yacht worth 886 million rubles (9.627 million dollars) after his exchange for Ukrainian military personnel, as reported by Verstka media.
It's about the high-speed yacht Pershing 9X, which the manufacturer, the Italian Ferretti Group, calls a "destroyer." The 28-meter vessel features four cabins with 8 sleeping berths and can accommodate up to 20 guests.
According to customs data available to the editorial team, the vessel named Amore Mio is brand new, launched in 2023. It passed through Russian customs on July 26. The yacht arrived in Russian waters under the flag of Palau, with Lavel Fzco, a company from the UAE, listed as the sender.
The recipient of the yacht in Russia is specified as AO "Renaissance." According to an audit report dated February 24, 2021, the beneficial owner of the company was Oksana Marchenko, a citizen of Ukraine and Medvedchuk's wife. The company registered the yacht under "temporary import." This procedure is used when it's not practical for the goods to remain on the customs territory permanently and partially exempts the declarant from paying customs duties.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Medvedchuk was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine on suspicion of high treason. In September 2022, he was extradited to Russia in exchange for prisoners from the "Azov" battalion. Currently, he resides in Russia.