Putin’s superyacht may be heading toward Norway

Vladimir Putin’s superyacht Graceful appears to be moving along the Norwegian coast, according to the latest tracking data reported by Danish broadcaster DR.

The vessel, accompanied by the Russian warship Severomorsk and patrol ship Voevoda, was last detected off Stavanger on Tuesday morning before all three ships disabled their AIS transponders, making them invisible to public tracking systems.

Graceful had previously gone dark in August 2022, reappearing only recently in the Baltic Sea near St. Petersburg. The 80-meter yacht, valued at over 1 billion Norwegian kroner by Forbes, has since been observed moving north through the Skagerrak Strait.

Anders Puck Nielsen, a Danish naval captain and military analyst, suggested the yacht may be fleeing threats in the Baltic. Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian ships in the region, including drone strikes on St. Petersburg during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in early June.