Italy’s financial police force seized a €530-million superyacht belonging to Russian oligarch Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, a spokesperson for the Italian government said today.
The vessel was seized on Friday in the northeastern port of Trieste. Called “SY A,” it is among the world’s largest.
Melnichenko is one of the oligarchs subject to sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the EU, he “belongs to the most influential circle of Russian businesspeople with close connections to the Russian Government.” As such, he is “in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation.”
Brussels said that “he is a member of the closest circle of Vladimir Putin and that he is supporting or implementing actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, as well as stability and security in Ukraine.”
Following the adoption of EU sanctions, Rome has already seized yachts and villas belonging to close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, such as Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s Sardinian villa.
