Serene' megayacht finds safe harbor from Putin
Stolichnaya vodka magnate Yuri Scheffler, visiting in New York, says "there is only one law in Russia, and it's called 'Putin.'"
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Wed, Mar 12, 2014, 11:42pm EDT - US Markets are closed
'Serene' megayacht finds safe harbor from Putin
By Robert Frank
11 hours ago
Nick Wells | Wikipedia
New
Yorkers have been tweeting, instagraming and posting countless photos of
a gleaming blue megayacht docked off midtown Manhattan. It's called
"Serene." At a staggering 436-feet, with five levels, several swimming
pools, two helicopter pads and soaring chrome exhaust pipes at the top,
it nearly outshines the Intrepid Museum next door. (Its best amenities
are inside: the "underwater viewing room," an indoor climbing wall,
children's playroom and cabins for 24 guests and 52 crew, according to
the yacht builder.) Anyone doing a quick Google search learns that the
owner of Serene is Yuri Scheffler, the vodka-and-spirits magnate behind
the Stolichnaya brand. And with the turmoil in Ukraine and Russia ,
many have also speculated that Serene's sudden presence is a sign of
the worried oligarchs-the Putin-connected, Russian super rich who now
face a financial backlash from the West for Russia's actions. (Read
more: Putin on the Ritz? Russian said to have billions ) But they would be wrong. Scheffler is no Putin oligarch. And he has a surprising perspective on Ukraine.
In an email interview, Scheffler said he is in New York on business-hence the boat.
Although
Scheffler's company, SPI Group, started in Russia, it's now based in
Luxembourg. Scheffler is now a British citizen who spends much of his
time abroad and hasn't been to Russia in 12 years. (Read more: Every oligarch for himself: Crazy days in Ukraine ) Scheffler has publicly battled President Vladimir Putin
for years as the Russian government tried to seize the company and
"renationalize" its assets. The government even issued a warrant for
Scheffler's arrest in 2003 after he refused to hand over the company. So
when asked about his views on Ukraine, Scheffler was highly critical of
Russia's government.
"If
Russia were a democratic country as the USA, with a proper legal system,
and Crimea had asked it for help to defend itself from a hostile
neighbor, then this would be OK," he wrote in the email. "In the current
situation, this is terrible when a country captures a neighbor's
territory. I feel sorry for Crimean people ... there are no laws in
Russia. There is only one law in Russia, and it's called 'Putin.' Only
one justice, called 'Putin'.'' (Read more: My other Lamborghini is a yacht ) For Scheffler and his boat, the U.S.-and its rule of law-have truly been a safe harbor. Especially now.
-CNBC's Robert Frank. Follow him on Twitter @robtfrank.
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