A helicopter linked to a Russian oligarch's megayacht and 17 private jets have their registration struck off by low-tax haven favored by the superrich, a report says

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A helicopter linked to a Russian oligarch's megayacht and 17 private jets have their registration struck off by low-tax haven favored by the superrich, a report says
Roman Abramovich's superyacht Solaris anchored off Tivat, Montenegro.Risto Bozovic/AP, Matt Dunham/AP
  • The Isle of Man deregistered an Airbus helicopter and 17 Russian jets, The Guardian reported.
  • The chopper had previously landed on Roman Abramovich's $600 million superyacht, the report said.
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A helicopter linked to a sanctioned Russian oligarch's yacht and 17 private jets with Russian ties had their registration removed by the Isle of Man, a tax haven for the super wealthy, The Guardian first reported.

Situated in the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland, the island has an aircraft registry that includes high-quality private and corporate jets, as well as helicopters, the government website said.

The island's registry can allow the wealthy to avoid taxes liable in other countries, The Guardian reported. The Isle of Man is known as a low-tax economy.

The Isle of Man's measures bolster the UK's and European Union's ban on all Russian aircraft flying in their airspace as part of sanctions levied following President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

A total of 18 aircraft and two yachts were deregistered as of Wednesday because of their Russian connections, the Isle of Man said in a press release sent to Insider. It also issued notice on 39 ships with ties to Russia, it said.

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Being deregistered means jets can't legally fly and ships can't legally sail, Alex Allinson, the Isle of Man's minister for enterprise, told the BBC.

An Airbus helicopter, which previously landed on Roman Abramovich's $600 million superyacht, Solaris, has been removed from the island's registry, The Guardian reported. A private jet owned by the Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, a Gulfstream G650, was also among the 18 aircraft taken off the registry, the newspaper reported.

Oleg Tinkov, the founder of the Russian online bank Tinkoff, who hasn't been sanctioned, also had his Dassault Falcon business jet struck from the island's registry, The Guardian reported.

"The Air and Ship Registries have been acting proactively and rapidly to halt business with Russian connections above and beyond those already sanctioned on the UK's lists," Allinson said in statement sent to Insider. The government is looking to remove any aircraft, ships, and yachts that have Russian ties, he added.

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