Italy Pays Millions a Year to Keep Seized Russian Superyachts Afloat

Italy is spending nearly $11 million a year to maintain a single seized Russian superyacht, according to Trieste’s mayor, as sanctions leave taxpayers funding the preservation of vessels their owners cannot retrieve.

Sailing Yacht A, valued at about $600 million and linked to Russian industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, costs roughly $30,000 a day to keep afloat, Mayor Roberto Dipiazza told CNN.

It has remained in the northern Italian port for more than four years.

The bill covers a 20-person crew, generator fuel, specialist cleaning, insurance and security. Other seized Russian yachts elsewhere in Italy carry separate costs.

A Legal Obligation to Maintain

Italian law requires authorities to preserve sequestered vessels. They cannot simply allow the yachts to deteriorate or sink while sanctions prevent their release.

Melnichenko would have to reimburse maintenance expenses to recover the yacht if sanctions against him were lifted.

Dipiazza has questioned whether that arrangement will ever recover the public money being spent.

“It will eventually cost him less to buy a new yacht than to pay back all we have spent,” he said. “And where does that leave us? We could be paying for this monstrosity for years.”

The mayor launched a public campaign over the costs in September 2025, threatening to sell the vessel or have it moved away.

The 468-foot yacht was undergoing maintenance in Trieste in March 2022 when sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to its seizure.

Melnichenko contested the action that summer, arguing that ownership rested with Valla Sails through a trust established by his wife.

The dispute reached the Court of Justice of the European Union, which ruled in 2025 that Italy could retain the vessel and responsibility for its upkeep.

Separate Bills Across Italian Ports

In Marina di Carrara, Tuscany, the $700 million Scheherazade has generated further expenses.

Local press reports put taxpayer spending on its skeleton crew at more than $15 million since the seizure.

Mooring payments are less clear.

Tax records reviewed by CNN showed its berth contract was paid through September, but Italian Sea Group declined to identify who covered those charges or who paid them afterward.

The vessel left port on August 28 before returning about ten hours later.

An Italian Sea Group spokesperson said the trip involved maintenance tests. Italian security forces accompanied it.

Lady M, owned by Severstal majority shareholder Alexei Mordashov, has cost Italian taxpayers about $2 million so far, a senior official at Marina di Imperia told Forbes.

Lena, belonging to Gennady Timchenko, is also being maintained nearby.

Government-funded crews service the seized vessels. Air conditioning helps prevent mold, while security arrangements protect the yachts and guard against unauthorized departures.

Sanctions and the Cost of Preservation

Other European countries face similar expenses, with Germany holding Dilbar, France maintaining Amore Vera and Spain keeping Tango.

Some jurisdictions have sold seized vessels. Gibraltar auctioned Axioma for about $37.5 million, according to Reuters, while the U.S. has sold yachts including Amadea.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues to support sanctions against Russian oligarchs linked to Vladimir Putin.

For the ports holding their yachts, however, maintaining the assets remains an ongoing public expense.