Italy seizes villa of Russian Formula 1 driver Mazepin

Rome, Apr 11 (EFE).- The Italian police on Monday seized properties in Sardinia owned by Russian former Formula 1 driver Nikita Dmitrievich Mazepin and his oligarch father valued at more than 100 million euros (about $109 million), Italian government sources confirmed.

“A preventive seizure order was executed against Dmitri Arkadievich Mazepin and his son Nikita Dmitrievich Mazepin, regarding the villa” known as Rocky Ram and located in the village of Porto Cervo, in northern Sardinia, the sources said.

The operation was carried out by the Finance Guard – Italy’s financial police – and is part of the effort by Italian authorities to sanction Russian oligarchs linked to President Vladimir Putin within the framework of the European Union sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Both Mazepins – senior and junior – had been placed on the EU sanctions list.

Italian police in recent weeks have seized several villas and yachts valued at more than 900 million euros from Russian multimillionaires who have been sanctioned by the EU, including a yacht belonging to Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko valued at more than 500 million euros.

Nikita Mazepin on March 5 had his contract canceled by the US-owned Haas Formula 1 team, a result of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and the EU punishment being implemented against Russia on multiple levels.

EFE lsc/lm/bp