Putin's superyacht Graceful spotted for first time since 2022, escorted by Russian warships off Denmark

Sighting after years in hiding

For the first time since August 2022, the superyacht widely attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been spotted outside Russian waters. The Graceful was observed on Monday in the Kattegat, the narrow sea passage between Denmark and Sweden, by the Danish public broadcaster DR's verification team. The yacht had its AIS transponder switched off since 30 August 2022, six months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and had only been seen sporadically in Russian waters since then.

The convoy and monitoring

Graceful was not alone. It sailed in a convoy with two Russian military vessels: a destroyer and a patrol boat. The trio passed through the Great Belt during the night to Monday, sailed past the island of Anholt in the morning, and was expected to round Skagen, Denmark's northernmost point, by early afternoon. The Danish navy and the German coast guard had been tracking the convoy alternately since Sunday at 9 a.m., with the Danish patrol ship P521 Freja currently following the Russian ships. The Danish Defence Command stated that it routinely monitors vessels, including foreign state ships, transiting Danish straits and waters.

The yacht's background

The Graceful was built in 2014 and is over 80 metres long, with five decks, a helicopter landing pad, a 25-metre swimming pool, a fitness room, and a wine cellar. It can accommodate up to 12 guests. Its official owner is not publicly listed, but the US Treasury identified the vessel in June 2022 as an asset in which President Putin has an interest and placed it on a sanctions list. Forbes magazine has described it as Putin's personal yacht. In October 2022, Forbes reported that the yacht had been renamed Kosatka (Russian for "killer whale"), though it is still commonly referred to as Graceful.

A hasty departure from Hamburg

The yacht left the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg on 7 February 2022, just over two weeks before the invasion of Ukraine. Reports indicate the crew rushed the vessel out of Germany in a night-and-fog operation, even though planned maintenance was incomplete, to avoid potential seizure under Western sanctions. Since then, the yacht had remained largely out of sight until this week's convoy.

Destination and broader tensions

Marinetraffic.com data suggests the Graceful is heading for Istanbul, with an estimated arrival on 12 July 2026, though this is not confirmed. The reason for the voyage remains unknown. The sighting comes amid heightened maritime tensions: investigative outlet Follow the Money reports that Russia has begun arming private freighters with machine guns and placing military personnel on board. Several European countries have in recent months seized tankers suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet, raising the risk of escalation if Russian crews were to open fire.