A MYSTERIOUS superyacht worth £532 million has been surrounded by Italian officials amid rumours that it belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Authorities are requesting proof of ownership of the luxury vessel Scheherazade as they investigate whether to seize it under sanctions imposed on Russia as the bloody conflict in Ukraine continues.

The 459-foot superyacht is moored at the Italian Sea Group shipyard in Marina di Carrara and has been dubbed “Putin’s yacht” by locals.

Its ownership has remained a complete mystery since its launch in 2020.

It is said to have a swimming pool that can be converted into a dance floor, gold-plated fixtures, two helicopter decks, and several satellite domes.

As authorities seek to seize superyachts belonging to Russian oligarchs, the Scheherazade’s captain, Guy Bennett-Pearce, confirmed that Italian investigators boarded the ship in an attempt to determine its true owner.

“They’re looking closely. “They’re looking into everything,” he told the New York Times.

“These aren’t your neighbourhood cops; these are men in dark suits.”

He told the outlet that he had “no choice” but to hand over documents revealing the identity of the owner to investigators this week.

According to a source, the investigation is being led by Italian financial police.

“Everyone calls it Putin’s yacht,” retired clerk Ernesto Rossi said.

“It’s a rumour that’s been circulating for months.”

Bennett-Pearce, who claims the superyacht’s crew is 70% Russian, admitted hearing the whispers but claimed he was bound by a “watertight nondisclosure agreement” that prevented him from revealing the owner.

However, he denied that the ship belonged to Putin or that the Kremlin had ever been aboard, telling the outlet, “I have never seen him.” I’d never met him.”

He stated that authorities had arrived to examine certification documents and that paperwork would be handed over.

“I have no doubt that this will clear the vessel of all negative rumours and speculations,” the captain added.

The Sun reported last week that a superyacht owned by Putin ally Igor Sechin had been seized by French authorities.

On March 3, they announced that the massive vessel, dubbed “Amore Vero” (True Love), was being held in the port of La Ciotat.

It came after German authorities seized Alisher Usmanov’s £600 million luxury vessel, which was thought to be the largest yacht in the world in terms of internal volume.

As part of the harsh EU sanctions, Usmanov had already been barred from entering the EU and had his assets frozen.

The steel magnate was said to be in the Seychelles this week after sailing from the Maldives.

It comes as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, with at least three people killed, including a young girl, after a Russian airstrike destroyed a maternity hospital in Mariupol, which is under siege.

On Wednesday afternoon, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the hospital was hit by a “direct strike” and that children were buried beneath the rubble, calling the attack a “genocide.”

Women who were about to give birth were injured in the strike, and children were buried under the rubble.

Pictures show a massive crater left by the shelling, as explosions blew out windows and destroyed much of the building’s front.

As liberators, his soldiers expected to be greeted with flowers, but instead were met with molotov cocktails and AK-47s.

Moscow is thought to have suffered massive losses, with up to 12,000 troops killed and thousands of vehicles destroyed.

Images demonstrate Ukraine is now littered with the charred remains of Russian military convoys as they are attacked from all sides.

Western nations have also imposed harsh new sanctions on Russia, pushing the regime of mad tyrant Putin to the brink of economic collapse.

Despite this, the advance is moving slowly towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Putin’s main goal is thought to be Kyiv, where they plan to assassinate President Zelenskyy and install a pro-Russian puppet government.

The peace talks are still ongoing, but the Kremlin has issued a list of demands that Zelenskyy will never be able to accept.