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A Financial Police patrol boat can be seen in front of the Scheherazade yacht in Marina di Carrara
Photo: FEDERICO SCOPPA / AFP
Italy has seized the mega yacht Scheherazade docked in Tuscany.
The ship is associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The financial police assigned the 140-meter-long ship to someone who has ties to “prominent elements of the Russian government” and other people on the EU sanctions list, the government in Rome announced on Friday evening.
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.
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Italy to confiscate the Scheherazade.
However, the authorities of the southern European country were initially hesitant.
Finance Minister Daniele Franco may have anticipated the Scheherazade's departure 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 a long period in dry dock.
Crew members were seen rushing to load the ship, and the yacht was refueled the previous week.
The yacht is valued by the Italian authorities at around 650 million euros.
According to research by the team of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who is in prison in Russia, the ship belongs to 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.
bbr/dpa