HAMBURG, Germany: German authorities have seized one of the world’s largest yachts, owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, as part of the European and U.S. crackdown on Russian billionaires associated with Vladimir Putin.

Usmanov’s custom-built 512-foot yacht Dilbar was docked in Hamburg, Germany, where it was undergoing a refitting job that began in October 2021.

Since the announcement of sanctions against Russian oligarchs, a handful of their superyachts have made their way to the Maldives, which does not have extradition agreements with the U.S.

“This coming week, we will launch a multilateral Transatlantic task force to identify, hunt down, and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian companies and oligarchs – their yachts, their mansions, and any other ill-gotten gains that we can find and freeze under the law,” the White House warned.

Usmanov, who the U.S. Senate described as a “senior member of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle,” while attempting to sanction him under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 2018 – reportedly has a multi-billion dollar empire that includes metals giant Metalloinvest, the Russian cellphone giant MegaFon, consumer electronics firm Xiaomi, as well as estates throughout Europe. Forbes reports that Usmanov was also among Facebook’s earliest investors.

The European Union announced plans to blacklist Usmanov and prohibit his travels throughout the continent, as part of the sanctions against Russian oligarchs put in place following the invasion of Ukraine.

Also this week, the Everton F.C. in the English Premier League severed its sponsorship deal with three Usmanov-owned companies, ESPN reported.