Italy freezes $700 million mega-yacht linked to "prominent elements of the Russian government"

The Italian finance minister has adopted a decree that will impede a mega-yacht from sailing away from a Tuscan port, after an investigation carried out by Italy's financial police corps indicated the luxury vessel Scheherazade has links to "prominent elements of the Russian government."

There had been fears that the 459-foot long yacht, which has been in dry dock in the port of Marina di Carrara, was preparing to sail out of Italian waters soon. Based on the Italian investigation, Minister Daniele Franco adopted a "freezing decree" regarding the yacht, which flies the flag of the Cayman Islands and which had "long been under the attention of the authorities," the statement said.

A few weeks after Russia's war against Ukraine began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech to Italian lawmakers, urged Italy to continue freezing assets of Russian oligarchs and officials. He cited by name the Scheherazade, which, according to some reports, belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin.