Trump tries to pressure Russia with auction of superyacht docked in SD

The United States is auctioning off a $325 million Russian superyacht as President Donald Trump seeks to increase pressure on Putin to end Russia’s war with Ukraine.

The auction closes Sept. 10. The U.S. has said it’s working with allies to put pressure on Russian oligarchs, some of whom are close to Putin and have had their yachts seized, to try to compel him to stop the war.

The Amadea, seized three years ago and currently docked in San Diego, has its own helipad and swimming pool, with room for 16 guests and 36 crew members.

Determining its real ownership has involved researching an opaque trail of trusts and shell companies.

The U.S. contends that sanctioned former Russian politician Suleiman Kerimov – who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for alleged money laundering – owns it, through a straw owner, Eduard Khudainatov, who ran the state-controlled Russian oil and gas company Rosneft.

A representative of Khudainatov, Adam Ford, emailed a statement Wednesday saying the planned sale is improper, and will expose any buyer to “years of costly, uncertain litigation.”

The yacht has been virtually untouched since the National Maritime Services took custody of it in 2022. To submit a sealed bid on it, bidders must put in a 10 million euro deposit, the equivalent of roughly $11.6 million, to be considered.

Ford said Khudainatov would go after any proceeds.

“Should the government press ahead simply to staunch the mounting costs it is imposing on the American taxpayer, we will pursue the sale proceeds, and any shortfall from fair market value, once we prevail in court,” Ford said.

A U.S. aid package for Ukraine signed into law in May 2024 gave the U.S. the ability to seize Russian state assets located in the U.S. and use them for the benefit of Kyiv, which was attacked by Russia in February 2022.