Norwegians Refuse To Refuel Yacht Of Russian Oligarch, Putin Crony

A Russian-owned superyacht is stranded in northern Norway as local oil suppliers refused to refuel the ship amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and the sanctions that many countries have imposed on Moscow as a result, Christina Anderson reported for the New York Times.

Photo Insert: Ragnar yacht

The yacht, Ragnar, is owned by the Russian oligarch Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, a former KGB agent who made his fortune in nickel mining and is a crony of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.

Strzhalkovsky has also served as Putin’s deputy minister. While Strzhalkovsky is not on the European Union’s sanctions list targeting Russia, politicians from several Norwegian parties have urged their government to confiscate the superyacht.

Norwegian law prevents the government from doing so without a directive from the European Union (EU), Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt told the public broadcaster NRK.

She added that because Norway was not a member of the bloc, “there are no established channels for third-party countries like Norway to come with their own suggestions for the list.”

The ship has been moored for several weeks in Narvik, a port city in northern Norway, the boat’s captain, Rob Lancaster, told NRK. “We are a Western crew of 16,” the broadcaster reported him as saying. “We have nothing to do with the owner.” Sven Holmlund, a local oil supplier, offered little sympathy for those aboard the vessel. “Why should we help them?” he told NRK. “They can row home. Or use a sail.”

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