“Links” to the Kremlin
Italy seizes alleged Putin megayacht
05/07/2022, 00:45 am
The “Scheherazade” comes from German production and is said to be worth hundreds of millions of euros. The mega yacht is said to even belong to Russian President Putin himself. Now it is being confiscated by Italian authorities.
The Italian authorities have arrested the mega yacht “Scheherazade” lying in a Tuscan shipyard. Investigations have revealed “significant economic and business connections between the official owner of the ‘Scheherazade’ and important figures in the Russian government,” the Italian Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
The yacht flying the flag of the Cayman Islands, which was last serviced in the port of Marina di Carrara, had long been noticed by the authorities. Apparently Finance Minister Daniele Franco forestalled the “Scheherazade” from sailing and a possible escape from Italian territory with his decision to confiscate the ship. The New York Times reported this week that the yacht was launched on Tuesday for the first time after months in dry dock. Crew members were seen rushing to load the ship, and the yacht was refueled the previous week.
The ministry did not disclose the name of the owner. According to media reports, the “Scheherazade”, which sails under the Cayman Islands flag, is owned by a company registered in the Marshall Islands. Members of the anti-corruption foundation of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny had attributed the yacht to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The luxury yacht company The Italian Sea Group, which last worked on the ship, announced weeks ago that according to documents, Putin is not the owner. According to Italian media, Eduard Khudainatov, the ex-head of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft, is registered as the owner. The oil manager is also cited as the owner of the super yacht Amadea, which was seized in Fiji on Tuesday.
Built in 2020 by German company Lürssen, the ship will have two helipads, a swimming pool and a cinema, according to specialist website SuperYachtFan, and is worth around 640 million euros. Since Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24, numerous yachts owned by Russian oligarchs have been confiscated in Europe.