Ukraine war: Italy seizes Vladimir Putin-linked superyacht as it prepares to set sail
- The US$700 million Scheherazade had been undergoing repairs in the port of Marina di Carrara, but recent activity suggested the crew was be preparing to depart
- Delivered to its mystery owner in 2020, the luxury yacht has two helicopter landing pads and can host up 18 guests and 40 crew
The Italian government ordered police on Friday to impound a luxury yacht worth some US$700 million that has been linked in the media to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The sleek, six-deck Scheherazade had been undergoing repairs in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara since September, but recent activity at the dockside suggested that the crew might be preparing to put to sea.
A source with direct knowledge of a weeks-long investigation into the vessel said police believed the owner was Eduard Khudainatov, the former chief of Russian energy giant Rosneft who is not currently a target of EU sanctions.
In a statement announcing the seizure order, the finance ministry did not name the owner, saying only that he had ties to “prominent elements of the Russian government”.
The ministry said the owner himself was not on any sanctions lists drawn up by Brussels following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it said Rome had asked Brussels to rectify this and had ordered the boat to be seized pending a decision.
Police boarded the yacht late on Friday to execute the order, the Italian government said.