The superyacht Graceful, reportedly linked by international media to Vladimir Putin, has sailed through Danish waters escorted by two Russian warships, according to Danish broadcaster DR.
The vessel crossed the Great Belt Strait on the night of June 29, later passing the island of Anholt and heading toward Grenen, the northern tip of Jutland, according to the report, News.Az reports, citing Kyiv Post.
A Russian destroyer and a patrol ship are escorting the 80-meter yacht, while a Danish patrol vessel, P521 Freja, is also monitoring the convoy. German coast guard units and the Danish navy have been tracking the movement in shifts since Sunday morning.
DR noted that Graceful’s AIS transponder has been switched off since August 30, 2022, effectively removing the yacht from public tracking systems, despite occasional sightings in St. Petersburg and the Baltic Sea. The vessel’s current route and final destination remain unknown.
The yacht, estimated by Forbes to be worth around €100 million, was reportedly undergoing repairs in Hamburg before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It left the German port on February 7, 2022 – just 17 days before the war began.
Danish armed forces said monitoring of foreign and military vessels passing through the straits is routine.