Report “Krone” – yachts in Turkey: on the trail of the oligarchs

Mortar shells fall into the Donbass, missile strikes for Kiev. In Ukraine, the eardrum threatens to burst.

Only the Crimean champagne corks pop here. Lost in dreams and even, the gentle waves ripple in front of you.

Welcome to the Aegean, welcome to late summer. The figs are ripe, the heat is over and the beach taverns still invite you to linger after a swim. The Icarian Sea is now showing its most beautiful side.

With our sailboat “Sydney” it is a stone’s throw from the Sporades to the Bodrum peninsula, but politically there are worlds between. The archipelago belongs to Greece, the eastern counterpart of Turkey. EU vs Erdogan.

And the Russian oligarchs, of course, know exactly where to cast their ‘golden anchors’.

After sanctions and various seizures, the luxury yachts are no longer parked on the Côte d’Azur or – after fleeing to the east – in Montenegro, but now in safe waters. For example in the emirate of Dubai – but especially here in Turkey.

Because the sultan of the Bosphorus, Putin’s best enemy, after several encounters, holds his protective hand over the swanky billionaires. Give and take is the motto.

Vodka and Beluga caviar are served at the ice bar
And so there is rush hour traffic on the harbor promenade of Yalikavak.

While villas rise adventurously on the cliffs all around, well-fed middle-aged men stroll through the coastal town tanning and showing off their younger companions.

The language is not always clearly defined. Many business people from Istanbul have also settled here. But the fact is: you can communicate well here in Russian.

At the Birds restaurant, the offshoot of a gastronomic temple in Moscow, you can probably keep it to yourself. The dress code is strict, discretion is paramount. It’s chilled to minus 15 degrees at the adjacent ice bar, Beluga, and chef mixer Petr serves up vodka on the rocks and caviar, as can be seen on the menu in Cyrillic script.

The properties here, which are not just occasions, belong to FC Rubin Kazan owner, Kamil Iskhako, who was also mayor of the Russian metropolis for 16 years, or the daughter of the president of Tajikistan.

The local marina was financed by Azerbaijani media mogul Mubariz Mansimov, and two years ago the handcuffs clicked for him.

In the bay, the sun slowly sinks to the horizon. Due to the incidence of light, the “Solaris” appears even larger than it actually is, namely 140 meters. Cost point: about 500 million euros.

At the local inspection “Krone” it is hectic around the mega yacht of shipyard Lloyd in Bremerhaven. Inflatable boats moor, buoys are set up and dismantled. On the platform at the back is a guard in a white and blue casual uniform, sunglasses and a button in his ear. Getting too close is said to activate a cell phone jammer.

The Dynasty also has a beauty salon on board
70 employees make sure that everything on board runs smoothly – whether the boss is there or not. And that often happens quite spontaneously. Owner Roman Abramowitsch, ex-boss of Chelsea FC and one of the richest people in the world, owns a Boeing 787 Dreamliner as a private jet in addition to various other ships and castles.

The noble cruiser “Dynasty” seems almost puny in comparison. It measures 100 meters and is available at a bargain price of approximately EUR 200 million, taking into account annual operating costs of approximately EUR 15 million.

Until his death last year, the yacht was owned by Uzbek gas lord Alijan Ibragimov. Now the heirs, his widow and six grown sons, are likely to retire on the ship. It is powered by a hybrid engine from Rolls Royce and has, among other things, a beauty salon on board – all kinds of small corrections can also be made en route.

“I lost my job due to sanctions”
Scene change to Bodrum city. Almost all the beds are occupied and traders offer perfumes and spices in the narrow streets of the old town.

At Liman restaurant, locals and tourists compete for the best outdoor seating. The restaurant is known for its good value for money. It smells of grilled octopus, lamb chops and moped engines.

A Russian woman sits at the table next to the kitchen and works her way through the mezze starter board with her husband. She must be around 50 and lost her job due to sanctions against her country.

“I worked for a major German kitchen manufacturer,” she says without revealing her name. The company withdrew after the invasion, so its post was gone. You can almost afford the short holiday in Turkey, but what’s next? “I have no idea.” Right now you live on your husband’s income and your savings.

The other side of the coin is also visible. Not all that glitters is gold. The sanctions don’t just hit the gang that privatized the crown jewels of Soviet industry at ridiculous prices or made a fortune in other dubious ways. They also meet tens of millions of people who no one has asked whether they are for or against Putin, for or against the war.

However, nobody wants to ruin their holiday here. The St. Petersburg couple ordered a raki to say goodbye and toasted forgivingly, “To a better time!” – “Yes, at a better time – for all of us.”