A veil of mystery stretches over the luxurious 140-meter yacht, which has been moored for months at the shipyard in Marina di Carrara, a city off the coast of Tuscany in Italy.
Everyone is wondering about the identity of the wealthy owner, with rumors that he belongs to a Russian oligarch or even to Vladimir Putin himself have erupted.
“It’s the biggest yacht I’ve ever seen here,” Suzy Dimitrova, who owns a boat in the same marina, told the Guardian. “There are people who clean it all the time. The last time I saw him leave was last year. “We all wonder who the owner is,” he added.
“It belongs to Putin”
The Scheherazade, as its name implies, is being investigated by Italian authorities for possible links with Russians who have been sanctioned. Activists working with imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have no doubt that the yacht belongs to the Russian president himself.
Investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh and anti-corruption activist Georgy Alburov have revealed that – according to a list from December 2020 – all crew members are Russians except the captain.
They claimed that some of the crew members were in fact members of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSO), a service that manages the security of high-ranking officials, including Putin.
The activists, who urged the Italian authorities to seize the yacht, said that the above information proves that the boat belongs to Putin.
“They are Russian civil servants, military personnel and travel regularly to Italy to work on the mysterious yacht,” Pevchikh wrote meaningfully in a Twitter post.
Have a look at this wonderful yacht called Scheherezade. It’s been talked about for a while. The rumor is it belongs to Vladimir Putin. But there is not much proof, only talks. And that’s why it hasn’t been arrested yet. It just sits there in the port of Carrara (🇮🇹). pic.twitter.com/1vnYDREc0Z
– Maria Pevchikh (@pevchikh) March 21, 2022
Inside the yacht
According to an exclusive report by the British Sun, the boat has a spa, sauna, piano, gym, swimming pools, jacuzzi, two helipads, a fireplace, a theater, ballrooms and a movie theater, a 5-meter TV and an aquarium.
One of the details that stand out is the gold-plated cases for the toilet paper.
The design with the dance floor turning into a swimming pool is also interesting – it is considered unique in its kind.
The evidence that – according to the British tabloid – betrays that the boat belongs to Putin is that one gym is clearly intended for judo, while there is a hospital for his – according to rumors – asthma.
Of course, the yacht also has the latest security system with four radars, capable of shooting down drones.
The value of the luxury boat of 139 meters is estimated at 700 million dollars.
The Marina di Carrara, where the repair yacht is located, is close to the Forte dei Marmi, a popular holiday destination for Russian oligarchs.
The company that owns the shipyard, where the boat is located, has denied that it belongs to Putin. A report by the Italian La Stampa had linked him to the former president of Rosneft, Eduard Yurievich Khudainatov. However, the Italian police have refuted this scenario and state with certainty that the yacht belongs to one of the close circle of the Russian leader.
Putin’s last official visit to Italy was in 2019, at the invitation of former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. At that time, he had also met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
With information from Guardian, Sun.
Money Review
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
