Law360 (May 5, 2022, 3:01 PM EDT) -- Fijian authorities have seized a $300 million yacht owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday, touting the latest prize in the government's bid to punish the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine.

The island nation's law enforcement and the FBI executed a seizure warrant freezing the Motor Yacht Amadea, a 348-foot luxury vessel owned by Suleyman Kerimov, a politician and billionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kerimov was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 over Russia's occupation of Crimea and was hit with additional punitive measures by U.S. and European authorities over the war in Ukraine.

Fijian authorities obtained a domestic seizure warrant for the vessel after receiving a mutual legal assistance request from the U.S., officials said.

"This ruling should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws. And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

The seizure was carried out by the DOJ's KleptoCapture task force, a unit of more than a dozen attorneys working with international authorities to enforce a raft of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies. Federal officials have indicated the economic countermeasures will be swiftly and aggressively enforced, without the typical grace period for fresh sanctions.

"Last month, I warned that the department had its eyes on every yacht purchased with dirty money," Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said in a statement. "This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide — not even in the remotest part of the world."

Kerimov is worth an estimated $15.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His fortune stems largely from his family's stake in Polyus, Russia's largest gold producer, and he holds roughly $42 million in real estate assets, per Bloomberg. Kerimov represents the Republic of Dagestan in the Federation Council of Russia.

The seizure comes as the Biden administration is seeking an additional $33 billion aid package for Ukraine, with some funds earmarked for the DOJ's KleptoCapture. The cash infusion would mostly be used to maintain seized assets until the government can unload them, Garland told lawmakers last month.

Garland met virtually Wednesday with Ukraine Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and top officials from other allied nations to discuss their efforts to hold Russian oligarchs accountable for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

"We will be relentless in our efforts to bring to justice those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine," Garland said in a statement following the call.

Last month, Spanish authorities acting at the DOJ's request seized a $90 million yacht owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, a Kremlin-linked billionaire who has been sanctioned since 2018.

--Additional reporting by Alyssa Aquino. Editing by Orlando Lorenzo.

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