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140 meters long and worth almost 700 million euros:
The super yacht "Sheherazade" was built by the Lürssen shipyard
Photo: FEDERICO SCOPPA / AFP
The superyacht "Scheherazade" is currently moored in front of the Tuscan town of Massa Carrara.
The ship, built by the Lürssen shipyard, is an impressive 140 meters long – only twelve other super yachts in the world are said to have a similar length.
It is currently unclear who owns the "Scheherazade", which sails under the flag of the Cayman Islands.
According to speculation, the owner should be Russian President
Vladimir Putin
(69)
.
Possible evidence has now come from the team of the imprisoned Kremlin critic
Alexei Navalny, who was sentenced to another long prison term on Tuesday
(45).
The Russian journalists Maria Pewtschich and Georgij Alburow published research according to which Putin's bodyguards are apparently on or in the vicinity of the yacht, which costs around 700 million euros.
In addition, an employee confirmed to media representatives that Putin was the owner.
According to a report by the "New York Times", the US secret services are also checking whether the luxury yacht can be assigned to the head of the Kremlin.
In retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has imposed sanctions on Russia's oligarchs.
Several countries have since confiscated yachts belonging to Russia's super-rich.
The "Scheherazade" was not one of them until now because its ownership structure is unclear.
Abramovich yacht leaves EU waters
The superyachts of the Russian oligarch
Roman Abramovich
(55), who is subject to sanctions, have so far escaped the authorities.
The 163-meter luxury yacht Eclipse, sailing under the Bermuda flag, arrived in the port of the Turkish Mediterranean city of Marmaris on Tuesday morning, Turkish media reported, citing tracking websites.
The super yacht "Solaris" was spotted in the holiday resort of Bodrum on Monday.
Abramovich was also banned from traveling in Great Britain and his assets were frozen.
This also affected Chelsea FC, which the billionaire bought in 2003.
NATO member Turkey, which has close ties with Russia and Ukraine, has not joined the sanctions aimed at Moscow.
At the same time, Ankara described the invasion of Ukraine as "unacceptable" and offered to mediate efforts to end the war.
According to media reports, a group of Ukrainians protested in a rubber dinghy against the arrival of the "Solaris", which had been discovered days earlier in a port in Montenegro.
They chanted "You're not welcome here," "Go away," and "No to the war in Ukraine."
hr with news agencies