Vladimir Putin, whose forces are still attacking Ukraine, lavished lavishly on his rumored $700 million superyacht, which boasts a dance floor and even gilded toilet paper dispensers. Since the boat’s construction, rumors that it belonged to him have circulated; nevertheless, anti-Kremlin activists have asserted that it is, in fact, Putin’s.
The 495-foot luxury vessel, which is docked in Marina di Carrara in Italy, is described as “like a tiny city” by an unknown worker engaged in its construction, according to the Sun. “There are numerous swimming pools, a spa, a sauna, a theater, ballrooms, a gym, and two helipads,” says the hotel’s website.
The luxury watercraft, dubbed Scheherazade after the renowned Persian queen from literature, was reportedly valued at £500 million ($6.6 million) by insider sources.
Putin seems to have put his money where his mouth is: The Sun received photos of the veritable marine house, which has six storeys of opulent amenities. A 16-foot aquarium, various screens (one a 15-foot monster that spans a full wall), and a self-leveling pool table allow customers to play even when the sea is rough.
There are also bathrooms with gold taps and toilet paper dispensers reminiscent of King Midas, as well as a tile dance floor that changes into a pool. According to the Sun, Scheherazade is one of only two ships in the world with that characteristic; the other is Putin’s second yacht, Graceful.
A judo room with framed images of black belts, as well as numerous publications demonstrating the autocrat’s devotion of riches, were among the personal touches added by the Russian president to the superyacht.
“Every surface is either marble or gold,” an unnamed boatbuilder said of the opulent craft, which the worker finds particularly obscene in light of recent events.
“It is hard to swallow the fact that the most incredible ship in the world is owned by a man intent on bombing civilians in Ukraine,” he continued. “And it is an unimaginable amount of wealth when the average Russian’s salary is £5,000 a year, and people there are struggling to eat.”
The opulent vessel was not designed solely for leisure voyages. Scheherazade can allegedly morph from a party boat to a battleship in a flash, similar to the baddie’s superyacht in the movie “Thunderball,” with a state-of-the-art security system capable of taking down drones.
If that wasn’t enough, the superyacht-turned-aircraft-carrier also has two helipads and a hangar with enough space for a helicopter, six Jet Skis, five dinghies, and eight Seabob underwater scooters.
Scheherazade was constructed during a two-year period. However, the vessel’s suspected ties to Putin were recently revealed after activists linked to imprisoned Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny claimed that several of the crew members worked for the Russian president’s security service, the Federal Security Service.
“To sum up, a dozen of Vladimir Putin’s personal guards and servants are constantly maintaining one of the world’s largest yachts docked in an Italian port,” investigative journalist and Navalny ally Maria Pevchikh wrote on Twitter Monday.
Meanwhile, during a speech to the Italian parliament on Tuesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Italy to seize the assets of Putin and his followers, whom he claimed routinely traveled to Italy, according to the Guardian.
He urged Italian police to take every yacht “from the Scheherazade to the smallest ones,” saying, “Don’t be a resort for murderers.”
Authorities are reportedly investigating the ship for possible ties to sanctioned Russians.
Despite the allegations, Guy Bennett-Pearce, the Scheherazade’s British captain, has denied that Putin has ever owned or even set foot on the ship.
“I’ve never seen him before.” He informed the New York Times that he had never met him and that the vessel’s owner was not on any sanctions lists.
Earlier this month, Italian authorities confiscated three superyachts belonging to Russian oligarchs, including Alexey Mordashov’s 213-foot vessel, Gennady Timchenko’s 132-foot vessel, and Audrey Melnichenko’s $578 million, 469-foot superyacht.
The seizures are part of a new campaign to target Putin and people close to him in the wake of Russia’s violent assault on Ukraine, which began on February 24.