Italy Arrested The Sailing Yacht A Of The Russian Oligarch Melnichenko

ROME, March 12 – Italian police have confiscated the superyacht of Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday, days after the businessman was placed on an EU sanctions list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The government said the 143-meter (470-foot) sailing yacht A, worth 530 million euros ($578 million), was confiscated in the northern port of Trieste.

The ship, designed by Philippe Starck and built by the German company Nobiskrug, is the largest sailing yacht in the world, according to the government.

Melnichenko owns EuroChem Group, a major fertilizer producer, and the SUEK coal company.

Last week, Italian police confiscated 143 million euros ($156 million) worth of villas and yachts from five high-profile Russians who were on the sanctions list. More

The police operations were part of a coordinated campaign by Western states to punish wealthy Russians with ties to President Vladimir Putin.

($1 = €0.9167)

Reporting by Emilio Parodi Script Giselda Vagnoni Editing Francis Kerry

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