Russia's Anti-Corruption Foundation has called on Italy to seize a superyacht owned by a trust company in the Marshall Islands as part of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
In its latest investigation, the Foundation claims the $US700 million Scheherazade is crewed by Russia's Federal Protective Service, which is tasked with guarding the President Vladimir Putin.
Experts say Vladimir Putin has crafted a public image of a hyper-masculine leader while keeping his private life hidden. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Kremlin
The 140-metre German-built yacht is registered in the Cayman Islands and owned by Bielor Asset, which is a trust company in Majuro.
Italian police have failed to ascertain whether the two-year-old yacht belongs to a Russian individual subject to the European Union's sanctions regime.
Using open-source information and collating leaked data, the Foundation claims the vessel is Mr Putin's as some of his guards keep being rotated from Sochi in Russia to Marina di Carrara, in Italy, where it's moored over winter.
The Foundation, which was set up by the now jailed opposition campaigner, Alexei Navalny, has called for the release of documents to show who paid for the yacht.