A #YachtWatch Update: A Sanctioned Russian Yacht Is Finally Being Transferred To Ukraine
Plus, VICTOR IN TROUBLE in real life
Thank you to everyone who came to this week’s Vespers. We discussed some fascinating Russian information operations going on in Italy. For anyone who wants more background, I suggest checking out this article from Monique Camarra at EuroFile, as well as Class 8: A Little Penne Alla Vodka from my Foreign Influence Operations course.
ALEX’S WEEKLY RANT
First up this week, I wanted to bring to your attention this excellent article from The Insider about (yet another!) European member of parliament who is a Russian asset, just straight up acting as a ventriloquist dummy for her Russian intelligence handlers.
As I wrote in this Twitter thread and this thread, Brussels is a major party place for spies, and so few people have any idea what is going on right under their noses. I’ll be writing write a longer analysis of this for The Course section of this substack soon, but in the meantime, do have a read and let it scare the shit out of you just how fucking bad counterintelligence in Brussels is.
Also, the Insider article mentions FSB spy master Artem Kureev. According to journalist Christo Grozev, this is Kureev’s WhatsApp profile pic, proving once again that VICTOR IN TROUBLE is basically a textbook at this point:
Now for the big news.
Finally. Finally! Ukraine is getting a yacht!
A Croatian court has decided to transfer ownership of the yacht Royal Romance to the government of Ukraine!
Ukraine plans to sell the $217 million vessel and use the proceeds to fight Russia. But I thought I’d have a little fun and imagine the yacht topped with some good firing power.
The yacht belongs to Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian politician who was reportedly Vladimir Putin’s top choice to be installed as president of a new, pro-Russia Ukrainian government after Russia’s full-scale invasion. The two are so chummy that Putin is godfather to Medvedchuk’s youngest daughter.
Medvedchuk had already been sanctioned by the United States in 2014 for his role in helping destabilize Ukraine. In 2021, he was placed under house arrest after being charged with treason and attempted looting of national resources in Crimea. He escaped in February 2022, just a few days after Russia’s invasion, but was captured by Ukrainian special forces two months later. In September of that year, he was given to Moscow as part of a prisoner swap. He now lives in exile there.
Medvedchuk has already seen his personal helicopter and a gulf stream jet handed over to the Ukrainian military. It is only fitting that he will now contribute to the country’s navy, as well.
Isn’t It Romantic?
Royal Romance is 92.5 meters long, or 303 feet, the length of a football field. It sports a 40-foot swimming pool with a waterfall, luxury rooms for 14 guests, a movie theater, two elevators, and a dining room fit for a country club wedding from the 1980s.
The yacht is registered to a Marhsall Islands company owned by Medvedchuk’s wife, Oksana, who is also sanctioned. She and her husband are accused of terrorism for funneling money to pro-Russia militias in eastern Ukraine. Now, isn’t that romantic?
Royal Romance was seized in 2022 by Croatia, whose courts are allowing the transfer of ownership to Ukraine to go through. The vessel was recently taken out for a spin, to verify it is still in good working condition.
The question is: who will buy it? As I’ve written, the government of Antigua and Barbuda tried to auction off the Alfa Nero, but the top bid of $67 million was far below the $120 million the yacht is reportedly worth (that deal has fallen through as the daughter of the alleged owner now claims the ship is hers). Is someone ready to pay $200 million to own Royal Romance, knowing its pissed off original owner is lying in wait in exile in Russia?
It Must Be Exhausting Always Rooting For The Antihero
Lastly, as I am sure you have all heard by now, Taylor Swift is a Pentagon asset running domestic psyops to undermine democracy.
Furthermore, sports are indoctrinating us to hate Jesus and TayTay and Travis Kelce are in on the plot, which for all I know includes Pfizer crop dusting everyone attending the Super Bowl and activating their microchips so they turn gay and vegan.
Let this woman from OAN explain it (because I can’t).
Clearly, someone is still angry she got shot down by the quarterback in high school.
Imagine if Taylor had spent more time listening to Jesus, where would she be now? Not with great tickets to the Super Bowl, that’s for sure!
Anyway, here’s a pic of Tay Tay doing covert ops.
THE WEEK’S LINKS
A roundup of stories you should be reading
NATIONAL SECURITY
AUTHORITARIAN SMEAR CAMPAIGNS
I criticised Rwanda’s leader—now I wake up screaming after constant online attacks (The Guardian)
Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, where she served in West Africa and Europe. She writes and teaches about terrorism, disinformation / covert influence, and oligarch yachts. Her writing has appeared in Slate, Reductress, Funny or Die, POLITICO, The Center for Public Integrity, and other publications. She has spoken to the BBC, MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, France24, and numerous other media outlets. She was also invited once to speak at Harvard, which she now tells everyone within the first ten seconds of meeting them. She is the author of the Victor Caro series, satirical novels about the CIA. Before joining the CIA, Alex was a journalist, covering Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, and the Department of Energy. She reported on issues related to national security, intelligence, and homeland security. Did she mention she was invited to speak at Harvard?
