As Turkey turns into a haven for Russion oligarchs who have been faced with sanctions from the West over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a yacht linked to Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska arrived in a bay near Turkey’s southwestern resort town of Göçek on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Deripaska, founder of the Russian aluminium giant Rusal, has been sanctioned by the US, the EU and the UK.
According to the Reuters report, a witness saw the 73-metre yacht Clio arrive off the coast of Göçek in the Aegean province of Muğla on Saturday, and the Cayman Islands-flagged vessel remains in a bay off Göçek .
The arrival of Clio in Turkish waters follows the docking of two superyachts in Turkish ports; both linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has been sanctioned by the EU and Britain, and who made a surprise appearance at Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul in April.
Although the administration of Turkish President Erdoğan continues to export arms to Ukraine and Turkish officials boast about Turkey’s exported armed drones being efficient in battle, the Turkish administration has clearly opposed Western sanctions against Russia.
Turkey is reliant on imports of Russian energy, particularly Russian natural gas, and Russian tourists are also a major source of income for Turkey, which is currently grappling with an ongoing currency crisis.
In addition, Turkey needs a constant Russian green light to be able to hold onto occupied territories in northeast Syria and to continue waging its war against the Kurds.
