Ban super yachts owned by Russian oligarchs from Scottish waters, politicians demand

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to seize the super yachts of rich Russian oligarch that regularly sail in Scottish waters.

Huge vessels owned by foreign millionaires are a regular sight along the Clyde during the summer months as wealthy elites enjoy luxury cruises.

One yacht - the £59 million Ragnar - was moored in Greenock last summer and is understood to be owned by former KGB officer Vladimir Strzhalkovsky.

The luxurious boat - which boasts its own helipad - turned heads when it made its way up the Clyde on a cruise from Gibraltar last June.And in 2017 Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov’s £40million superyacht was moored in Govan.The Lady M made waves as she anchored next to the Queen Mary at the Glasgow Science Centre.Mordashov was Russia’s richest man with an estimated worth of $15.7billion and he also has close ties to Vladimir Putin.Now one MSP has said the growing list of sanctions against the Russian Government should include pleasure craft such as the Ragnar.It comes as French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says France is getting ready to seize all assets of Russian officials and business leaders who are being targeted by EU sanctions.Labour's Paul Sweeney said the Clyde should not be a "safe haven" for super yachts linked to the Kremlin.The Glasgow MSP told the Record: "Although such obnoxious displays of wealth have often been revolting to many Scots it is now utterly unconscionable that the Clyde could be used as a safe haven for Russian owned superyachts, many of which are owned by oligarchs with close links to Putin and to the Russian state."At a time where the European Union has taken the lead by banning all Russian owned or registered aircraft from European airspace, the UK should take the