On Tuesday, Italy has seized a $670,000 luxury bulletproof limousine belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
Authorities seized a black Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard VR10 belonging to mining and telecommunications tycoon Alisher Usmanov in Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, over the past few days.
The Italian tax police confirmed that the car was among Usmanov’s assets on the island that had been seized.
According to reports, the authorities had confiscated his real-estate complex in the Bay of Pavro, worth 17 million euros or about $19 million, and six of his corporate vehicles. His confiscated assets in Sardinia totaled 66 million euros, or about $73 million.
Authorities in Sardinia and Usmanov’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment from insiders about reports of seizures.
The five-ton Maybach cost around 600,000 euros, or about $670,000, and is equipped with armor plating and 10-centimeter-thick windows designed to withstand blasts and machine-gun attacks. Mercedes has said it can withstand two grenade detonations at the same time.
Mercedes did not immediately respond to an insider’s request for comment about the vehicle’s details.
The European Union approved Usmanov on 28 February. A report by the EU Council said she has “particularly close ties” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and considered him one of his “favorite oligarchs.”
A spokesman for the billionaire, who has also been targeted by UK and US sanctions, explained last week that he had transferred some of his assets, including two mansions in the UK, into irrevocable trusts and no longer holds them.
According to the reports, Usmanov is Russia’s fifth-richest person, with an estimated net worth of $18.7 billion.
