Putin's yacht headed north to the Kola Peninsula under warship escort
The luxury yacht Kosatka left the Baltic Sea last week and sailed north along the Norwegian coast under the escort of the anti-submarine destroyer Severomorsk and the special patrol vessel Voevoda. The vessel group is likely to have arrived on Saturday.
The yacht had been absent from public tracking systems since August 2022. On Monday, 29 June, its Automatic Identification System (AIS) was switched on, showing the vessel underway in the Skagerrak, north of Denmark. At the time, its next destination was listed as Istanbul, according to MarineTraffic, and the vessel appeared under the name Graceful.
The yacht was renamed Kosatka after the United States imposed sanctions on the vessel in 2022. Kosatka is the Russian word for killer whale (orca).
Once in the North Sea, however, the superyacht altered course and headed north, continuing along the Norwegian coast, according to The Telegraph. The newspaper said the Russian vessel group was shadowed by NATO forces.
In August 2023, the Anti-Corruption Foundation established by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny published findings linking the German-built luxury yacht to Vladimir Putin. Six months later, in February 2024, Navalny was poisoned and died in an Arctic prison colony.
According to the foundation's investigation, the yacht is equipped with luxury guest suites, a spa, gym, swimming pool with a movable floor that converts into a dance floor, and a helipad capable of accommodating light helicopters.
The apparent decision to move the yacht north is believed to be driven by concerns that Ukrainian drones could target the vessel while it is berthed either in Kaliningrad or near St Petersburg. Ukrainian drones have in recent weeks struck the strategically important Russian naval base at Kronstadt and several oil terminals in the area.
As it sailed along the Norwegian coast, Kosatka (or Graceful) was escorted by the Northern Fleet's anti-submarine destroyer Severomorsk and the newly commissioned special patrol vessel Voevoda, whose name translates as "warlord".
The vessel group sailed across the Norwegian-Russian maritime border north of the Varanger fjord overnight to Saturday, July 4. A few hours later, the Severomorsk was spotted at anchor outside the Northern Fleet's main warship base Severomorsk, according to a photo posted on Bluesky.
The Severomorsk has spent recent months escorting sanctioned Russian cargo vessels, while Voevoda is reported to be the first of a new class of Russian salvage ships.
However, Voevoda differs markedly from other vessels in the rescue fleet. In March, the Barents Observer reported that the ship features premium accommodation, including eight suites with bedrooms, bathrooms and studies, as well as a conference room and a passenger lounge with buffet facilities.
The vessel can also carry four motorboats and accommodate two helicopters.
These features have fuelled speculation that the ship's role extends beyond maritime rescue. Some observers believe it effectively serves as a yacht for senior Russian officials—possibly even Putin himself—and that classifying it as a salvage vessel could help shield it from international sanctions.
Putin's superyacht is now widely believed to arrive at the Northern Fleet's main naval base at Severomorsk on the Kola Bay, where it could receive greater protection against potential drone attacks.
