The Italian government has seized a luxury superyacht worth an estimated £570m. The yatch is believed to be of Russian President Putin. The vessel was impounded as a part of the EU sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, under which yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs have been seized.
The Italian finance ministry in a statement said the owner of the yacht had ties to “prominent elements of the Russian government” without taking the name of person.
Meanwhile, Russia on 24th February launched its invasion of Ukraine. And, according to the latest updates, Evacuation operations are continuing from the besieged southern city of Mariupol with 40 civilians rescued on Friday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed in his latest national address. Three evacuation buses left the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Friday, according to Russian media reports.
However, the latest US military aid package to Ukraine, announced by president Joe Biden on Friday, is worth $150m. Germany will also send seven self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, on top of five artillery systems the Dutch government has already pledged, the German defence minister, Christine Lambrecht, said. Also, the UK government has said it will give Ukraine 287 mobile generators in addition to 569 generators it had donated earlier.