Sanctions: US judge denies ex-Rosneft CEO's claim to 106m seized superyacht Amadea

A US judge on Monday (10 March) ruled that Eduard Khudainatov, the former CEO of a Russian state-owned oil conglomerate Rosneft, cannot plausibly claim ownership of the 106.1-metre  Lürssen yacht Amadea, which US authorities seized in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

The US previously passed a law authorising the transfer of seized Russian assets subject to US jurisdiction to Ukraine for economic and humanitarian purposes. Khudainatov (who is not subject to US sanctions) sought to block Amadea's forfeiture by laying claim to the vessel in 2023, though prosecutors argued he was merely a "straw owner" for sanctioned Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov.