The Italian government has ordered the seizure of a luxury yacht worth around $700 million, which is publicly associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The six-story yacht, named Scheherazade, had been anchored in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara since September last year, but there were indications that it was about to set sail.
The yacht sails under the flag of the Cayman Islands, was manufactured in Germany and has two helipads.
A source referred to the police investigation said that the owner of the yacht is Eduard Kudaynatov, the former head of Rosneft, who is not personally under sanctions. The Italian Ministry of Finance did not release the name of the owner of the yacht, but said that he has "close ties to prominent members of the authorities in Russia."
As a result, the yacht was seized, and official Rome sent a letter to Brussels regarding further steps.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Italian parliament in March and appealed to seize the yachts of Russian oligarchs, which is part of the European sanctions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
So far, Italy has confiscated Russian villas and yachts worth around 900 million euros, which were located in prestigious locations.
When it comes to the yacht "Scheherazade", the organization of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny claims that its real owner is Putin.
They claim that many of the crew members are actually members of Russia's Federal Security Service, which is in charge of providing security for Putin.
The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment on these allegations.
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