AMSTERDAM - Dutch auction house Troowtwijk Auctions will put a superyacht belonging to pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk under the hammer. The funds raised from the sale of the Royal Romance will go toward replenishing Ukraine’s budget, said the Ukrainian government agency, Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA). 

The 92.5-meter-long yacht has five stories and a swimming pool on board. It was seized in Croatia in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, and possession was recently transferred to Ukraine. The country chose Troostwijk as the most suitable auction house to sell the yacht. 

Viktor Medvedchuk is a businessman and politician placed on the United States sanctions list in 2014 for his role in the annexation of Crimea, NOS reported. According to the U.S. authorities, he is a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The Czech Republic also accused Medvedchuk of a Russian disinformation campaign involving paying off European politicians via a website based in Prague used to spread Russian propaganda. 

According to ARMA, the Royal Romance is the first sanctioned asset seized outside Ukraine to be auctioned. Olena Duma of ARMA spoke of a “big victory.” 

A Croatian judge approved the Royal Romance’s transfer to Ukraine. The country handed the ship over with the message, “Whoever buys Medvedchuk’s yacht will deal a political blow to the Putin regime and get a place on the pages of world history.”