A superyacht worth an estimated $700 million moored off the west coast of Italy belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claims an anti-corruption unit led by jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Almost half of the Scheherazade’s crew is employed by the Federal Security Service (FSO), which is responsible for Putin’s security, the Times of London reported, citing video released by the dissident’s team.
Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) detailed the allegations in a 15-minute video on Monday, the day before he was found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to nine more years in prison.
The 459-foot German-built vessel was being repaired at Marina di Carrara in Tuscany, which may explain why it did not flee the Russian invasion of Ukraine like other oligarchs’ yachts.
The six-deck superyacht will have a swimming pool, gym, spa and two helipads, according to the news outlet.
Anti-corruption activists claim that a $700 million yacht docked in Italy belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin. AFP via Getty Images
Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, FBK, detailed its allegations in a 15-minute video posted online. Alexei Navalny/YouTube
For the past two summers it has sailed to the Black Sea resort of Sochi, site of the 2014 Winter Olympics and Putin’s summer residence Bocharov Ruchey, the Times of London reported.
The FBK said the chief officer of the Scheherazade, Sergey Grishin, was listed as “Sergey G FSO” on a contact list, according to the outlet.
Anatoly Furtel, the boatswain – a crew member in charge of equipment – was registered at an address in Sochi used by the FSO unit protecting Bocharov Ruchey, the Times of London reported, citing leaked databases.
Furtel’s assistant, Alexander Pechurkin, was also connected to the FSO unit through recordings, Navalny’s researchers claimed.
“The same people who take care of Putin in his homes and on his travels, who manage his life, fly together to Italy to work on one of the most expensive yachts in the world,” Navalny’s ally and journalist Maria Pevchikh said in the video , reported the Independent.
Italian authorities have not yet revealed who owns the Scheherazade, which is masked by several offshore companies, according to the Times of London.
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“But what really matters is that the real owner of the Scheherazade is being guarded by the FSO,” Navalny’s team said.
British captain of the Scheherazade, Guy Bennett-Pearce, has denied claims of Putin’s possessions, saying the strongman has never set foot on the ship.
FBK claims that half of the crew on the yacht, named Scheherazade, work for the Federal Security Service (FSO), which handles security for Putin. Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images
“I never saw him. I never met him,” he told the New York Times.
The skipper told the Times in a telephone interview that the owner was not on any sanctions list. He didn’t rule out that the owner might be Russian, but cited a “watertight non-disclosure agreement” in which he refused to say more.
Bennett-Pearce added that he had “no choice” but to provide Italian investigators with documents revealing the owner’s identity and said he had been told they would be treated “confidentially”.
FBK released the video a day before Alexei Navalny was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to nine years in prison. Alexei Navalny/YouTube
“I have no doubt that this will rid the ship of all negative rumors and speculation,” he wrote to a Times reporter.
Three European countries have seized several luxury yachts owned by Russian oligarchs as a result of recent sanctions against Moscow.
The vessels seized include Alexey Mordashov’s 213-foot yacht, Gennady Timchenko’s 132-foot watercraft and Audrey Melnichenko’s 469-foot superyacht valued at $578 million — all seized in Italy, Jen said Psaki, White House press secretary, recently.
The Scheherazade’s captain, Guy Bennett-Pearce, denies that the yacht belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he is prevented from revealing the true owner by a non-disclosure agreement. Alexei Navalny/YouTube
Spain took possession of Sergei Chemezov’s $140 million yacht, while Igor Sechin’s $120 million 280-foot boat was seized in France.
The confiscations are among the West’s latest efforts to target Putin and those close to him over Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine that began on February 24.