Croatia to hand over Viktor Medvedchuk's yacht arrested in spring 2022 to Ukraine

Split, Croatia (Svidomi) — A court in Croatia has ruled in favour of transferring the Royal Romance yacht that belonged to pro-Moscow Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk to the Ukrainian state, the Asset Recovery and Management Agency of Ukraine reports.

"Croatia expects the vessel to be handed over to Ukraine as soon as possible. According to the Croatian side, there are no legal obstacles to the implementation of this intention," the statement reads.

ARMA has received approval to conduct a re-examination of the asset to ensure a proper sale. The sale of the vessel will be the first example of the sale of seized assets located abroad.

Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Russian oligarch who says Putin is his daughter’s godfather is the former leader of the pro-Russian Opposition Platform – For Life, which is banned in Ukraine. In April 2022, Ukrainian security services detained Medvedchuk as he tried to flee Ukraine after Russia's full-scale war began.

In August 2022, he was handed over to Russia as part of a prisoner-of-war exchange.

It will be recalled that a court in Ukraine has sentenced four of Medvedchuk's associates who were preparing a coup d'état in Ukraine.