Italy
Yacht seized – next Russian oligarch hit by sanctions
The 65 million expensive yacht “Lady M” belongs to the Russian oligarch and Tui major shareholder Alexei Mordashov
© Andrew Milligan/ / Picture Alliance
After France confiscated the yachts of a Russian oligarch, Italy is now following suit.
Italy has confiscated the luxury yacht owned by Russian oligarch and TUI major shareholder Alexei Mordashov. The police seized the 65 million euro yacht “Lady M” on Friday in the Ligurian port of Imperia “in accordance with the latest EU sanctions”, said government adviser Ferdinando Giugliano on Twitter. According to Italian media reports, the “Lena” yacht belonging to the oligarch Gennady Timchenko was also confiscated in Sanremo.
As part of the punitive measures against Russia over the Ukraine invasion, the European Union had imposed sanctions on several oligarchs accused of being close to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.
Russian oligarch Mordashov: ‘do not understand the sanctions’
In a statement on Monday, Mordashov denied any responsibility for the Ukraine war. “I have absolutely nothing to do with the current geopolitical tensions and I don’t understand why the EU has sanctioned me,” he wrote.
France had already reported the confiscation of the mega yacht “Amore Vero” (True Love) in the port of La Ciotat on Thursday. The ship is said to belong to a company in which Rosneft boss Igor Sechin is the main shareholder.