To those who recall the modest but elegant dimensions of the Royal Yacht Britannia, it is nothing less than an aberration, a monstrous floating palace built not for a queen but to one man’s towering vanity.That such a ship, where every conceivable surface is of gold or inlaid marble, should be given the name of one of the most gentle and noble figures in literature only adds to the sense of outrage.For this is the Scheherazade, reputedly Vladimir ‘s £500 million superyacht where each of its six decks groans with obscene luxury and hideous excess.There is, however, some grim satisfaction that as his guns continue to pulverise the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and rain death on defenceless citizens across Ukraine, this monument to vulgarity — where even the lavatory paper is dispensed via tasteless golden holders — is, for now at least, trapped behind the masts of a forest of lesser craft and unable to put to sea. This is the Scheherazade, reputedly Vladimir Putin ‘s £500 million superyacht where each of its six decks groans with obscene luxury and hideous excess The superyacht boasts twin helipads, capable of landing Russian attack helicopters, immaculate teak decks and a highly sophisticated communication and defence system with the ability to shoot drones out of the sky The yacht has room for 18 guests in nine luxury cabins in addition to a crew of 40, residing in 20 cabins and has a royal suite, a swimming pool, a spa and a beauty salon Scheherazade (seen in drydock), is one of the largest and most expensive superyachts in the worldWhen thousands are dying at his hands, it seems dishonourable to celebrate the impounding in an Italian dry dock of a mere boat.But then ownership of possessions such as Scheherazade are how Putin, like some latter-day absolute monarch, demonstrates power.
In a country where the average Russian’s annual salary is £5,000, the riches lavished on the yacht are almost beyond comprehension.Outside are twin helipads, capable of landing Russian attack helicopters, immaculate teak decks and a highly sophisticated communication and defence system with the ability to shoot drones out of the sky.
But it is inside that the sheer opulence begins. In a country where the average Russian’s annual salary is £5,000, the riches lavished on the yacht are almost beyond comprehensionThere is a self-levelling pool table, a spa with a cryotherapy chamber and a swimming pool that can transform into a dance floor.
There is an aquarium, theatre, ballroom, gym and a Jacuzzi. And for sheer chutzpah, a self-playing grand piano that, allegedly, repeats a song titled Vladimir Putin Is A Fine Fellow.Below decks is an underground hangar big enough to hold a helicopter, six jet skis, five tenders and eight Seabobs.Gold fittings and bling are everywhere, from the bathroom taps to the rivets and screws that hold a 4.5-metre-wide television to the wall of one stateroom. RELATED ARTICLES
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Rumours of Putin’s ownership of the vessel have circulated since its construction. But his ownership was not investigated until supporters of jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny revealed that it was crewed, almost exclusively, by members of Russia’s elite secret service, the FSO.That Putin should be the beneficial owner of a billionaire’s plaything is, of course, not the only mystery.
After all, he arrived back in his native Russia in 1989 following the fall of the Berlin Wall, as impecunious as he was disillusioned by the collapse of communism.Married with two daughters under five, he had been based in the KGB’s office in Dresden in East Germany.
His possessions included a clapped out Lada car and a 20-year-old washing machine.Yet a decade later he was a multi-millionaire and, within 20 years, had amassed a fortune of such gargantuan proportions he was said by some distance to be the world’s richest man.Today, his possessions — along with at least two yachts — include a palace of breathtaking lavishness on Russia’s Black Sea coast, and an aircraft upholstered not by a furniture-maker but by a jeweller.Among a secret portfolio of assets are said to be luxury homes for his mistresses and a collection of priceless wrist watches — his favourites being a £70,000 Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar and a £15,000 Breguet Marine. Together: Putin and his alleged lover Alina Kabaeva at an event in the Kremlin (file photo)This combination of greed and acquisitiveness has marched in lockstep with a vaulting ambition to restore to Russia the influence and empire of its Soviet Union-era heyday.However, Putin’s dream of expansion of Russia’s borders through his brutal invasion of Ukraine now threatens the very existence of the one thing he prizes above all others — the prosperity he has accumulated, much of it plundered from the very people he professes to serve.He is believed to have stashed millions of his p