U.S. officials believe the gargantuan yacht worth nearly $1 billion and parked at a small Italian dock may be the golden goose of Russian assets: the boat of Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. officials are not sure if or when Putin has actually used the Scheherazade, and the ship’s captain has consistently claimed Putin has never owned or set foot on the vessel. But they do have initial indications that link the Russian strongman to the 459-foot-long vessel. When officials in Italy started looking into the ship, they ran into consistent denials from the ship’s captain. However, a former crew member told The New York Times the ship belonged to Putin. U.S. officials also said Putin’s ownership was unlikely to be confirmed through documents, as Putin held very few assets in his name. Italian officials have also been investigating the boat, with authorities set to take their evidence to a government committee soon.
