The Italian government ordered on Friday the seizure of a yacht worth some $700 million that has been linked in the media to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The sleek, six-deck Scheherazade has been undergoing repairs in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara since September, but recent activity at the dockside has suggested the crew might be preparing to put to sea.
The Italian finance ministry said in a statement that investigations showed the owner of the boat had ties to "prominent elements of the Russian government" and with people targeted by European Union sanctions.