Putin’s Superyacht Scheherazade Secrets

Hidden ownership, $10 million refit and ships crew remain funded by the Kremlin via corrupt Oligarchs. The Italian Government continues to hide information from the world.

The Scheherazade is a super-yacht that is or was currently docked in Marina di Carrara, Italy. The Italian government seized the yacht in May 2022 as part of sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
About this yacht:

• The Scheherazade is a $700 million, 460-foot yacht with two helicopter decks, a spa, 22 cabins and gold decked garish furniture throughout.

• The yacht's owner is not publicly known, it has been traced back to Putin

• The yacht was under investigation by Italian authorities since it was seized.

• The yacht has been refitted by the Italian Sea Group, which is in fact a complete refit by a local shipbuilder - the funders remain a state level secret - but why?

• The crew and corrupt captain deny knowledge of Putin’s ownership, yet they are still paid by the Kremlin?

• The yacht's “owner” has been allowed to maintain the yacht.

• The Italian government has not disclosed who is paying for the work. 3 years into the war, it is time to hold Italy to account for protecting Putin’s prized yacht. Paid for by the money he has skimmed from the russian state.

Based on available footage, the yacht Scheherazade seems to be a paradise for lovers of luxury and convenience. She features a helicopter landing pad, an expansive pool, a cinema, and various entertainment areas. In an innovative security feature, she is also equipped with a drone crashing system to protect privacy by literally crashing unwanted drones from the sky.

The Scheherazade super-yacht was impounded by the Italian government in May 2022 in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Instead of falling into disrepair, Italy has allowed its owner to maintain and refit the vessel, but it won't disclose who is footing the bill.

The Financial Times reported on that the vessel has been held at port in Marina di Carrara, located almost 90 miles northwest of Florence, since it was impounded by authorities in the spring of 2022. For over a year, the Italian government has permitted the owner to continue paying for the ship's staff, its maintenance and refitting of the vessel. But Italy won't identify the owner.

Italy's Finance Ministry said in a May 2022 news release that the super-yacht had "significant economic and business links" with "prominent elements of the Russian government" but didn't name the owner of the ship.

According to the website SuperYachtFan, the 460-foot super-yacht belongs to Russian billionaire Eduard Khudainatov. However, Bloomberg News reported in 2022 that he is a "straw owner" of the super-yacht — as well as another ship — and that the Scheherazade actually belongs to Putin.

While Scheherazade was undergoing a refit in Italy, it was also been under investigation by Italian and American authorities to determine if the superyacht's secretive owner is subject to sanctions being imposed on Russian oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, due to the Russo-Ukrainian War.

RFE/RL reporters found themselves pursued by a drone and questioned by police after getting close to a $700 million superyacht believed to be owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 140-meter luxury ship Scheherazade was seized by Italy in May 2022 as part of EU sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A U.S. federal court case over superyacht seizures is pending and investigative journalists have alleged that Putin's ownership is being concealed behind a straw owner.

The Mystery Surrounding Scheherazade’s Ownership

In September 2024, it was reported that the captain claims the yacht is not owned by Putin despite previously allegedly telling interviewees the yacht was owned by a ‘Russian politician, who goes as high as it gets’. Since her arrest the yacht had been lengthened by 2 metres with a stern extension with a cost probably around $6-10 million dollars, and is now having further modifications carried out despite her arrest.

Ownership details about the yacht Scheherazade have been somewhat ambiguous. It was initially suggested that the owner hailed from the Middle East. However, recent media claims indicate that Eduard Khudainatov, the former President of Rosneft and a current energy investor, might be the actual owner. This speculation aligns with previous assumptions, as Khudainatov’s name was linked to other large yachts but was never confirmed.

Eduard Khudainatov, the former CEO of Russian energy giant Rosneft, says he is the owner of the Scheherazade -- and two other seized superyachts linked to oligarchs.

A longtime romantic partner of Eduard Khudainatov, a Kremlin-linked Russian oil boss placed under sanctions by the European Union in June 2022, owns four villas in an upscale Austrian ski town, reporting by paper trail media, OCCRP, and iStories reveals. Svetlana Eliseeva, a Russian and Cypriot citizen, bought the four properties in Kitzbühel in Austria’s Alpine Tyrol region between 2017 and 2021, paying a total of around 26 million euros, property records show.

Eliseeva obtained a European Union passport through Cyprus’ now-abolished citizenship by investment program. Eliseeva’s so-called “golden passport,” acquired in January 2017, allowed her to avoid restrictions on land purchases by non-EU citizens. Austrian regulations require people from countries outside the bloc to obtain approval from local authorities before buying a property, which is granted only if there is a cultural, social or economic interest in concluding the transaction and the purchase will not impair “national political interests.”

Before becoming a Cypriot citizen, Eliseeva had also applied for a Maltese passport, according to an application found in a leak of documents from the investment migration consultancy firm Henley & Partners, obtained by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation and shared with OCCRP.

Despite widespread conjecture that Scheherazade might be Russian President Putin’s yacht, the evidence to support this seems scant. As of May 2022, Italy has frozen the yacht due to “significant economic and business links” between the yacht’s beneficial owner and “prominent elements of the Russian government.”

The work being carried out by @the_italian_sea_group

The Italian Government has refused to give any details of how this work is allowed because of the yacht’s arrest. The yacht is having more work, more modifications with an approximate cost of another $5-10 MILLION.

At least two sanctioned Russian-owned yachts that were in Italy have escaped and gone to safe havens, such as Turkey. The question begs, will Putin’s yacht also be allowed to flee in the dark of night?

Eyes have been off the vessel for 6 months now, the Italian Government has remained vague on the arrest and actions surrounding the yacht.

References and sources:

https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-yacht-italy-seizure-sanctions-refit-marina-drone-ukraine-sheherazade/32812832.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-05-14/russian-tycoon-hides-1-billion-worth-of-yachts-us-says#xj4y7vzkg

https://www.occrp.org/en/scoop/austrian-mystery-villas-owned-by-former-romantic-partner-of-sanctioned-russian-oligarch-eduard-khudainatov

https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht/scheherazade/owner/

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/07/1192548262/superyacht-tied-to-putin-russian-president-scheherazade-italy-who-paying

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9809980

https://boattest.com/article/putins-yacht-tens-millions-spent-upgrades-whilst-detained

'Putin's Yacht' Scheherazade on the Move in Italy | SY News Ep202

Your support will be really appreciated. Please help me keep publishing educational material across channels!

buymeacoffee.com/beefeaterfella

patreon.com/Beefeater_Fella

beefeaterresearch.substack.com

BeefeaterFella youtube.com/@beefeaterfella