Ukraine war
105 million euro villa gone: police freeze villa of ex-racing driver and oligarch’s son Nikita Masepin
Ex-Formula 1 driver and son of oligarchs Nikita Dmitrievich Masepin (23).
© FLORENT GOODEN / Picture Alliance
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is hitting ex-Formula 1 driver Nikita Masepin harder and harder: After he was recently kicked out of his team, authorities have now also frozen his mega villa in Sardinia.
The sanctions against Russian oligarchs, their families and friends are once again hitting former racing driver Nikita Masepin with full force. At the beginning of March, the son of billionaire Dmitry Arkadyevich Masepin lost his job with the Haas Formula 1 team, and now the Italian financial police, Guardia di Finanza, have frozen his gigantic property called “Rocky Ram” in Sardinia.
Discovered despite letterbox company
Authorities said the huge villa, also known in Italy as Villa De Benedetti, is owned by a foreign company called Ferimod Investments based in Cyprus. This company is owned by Nikita Masepin and his father Dmitri, which means that the villa is affected by the EU sanctions against the family.
An aerial view shows the huge estate “Rocky Ram” (also known as “Villa De Benedetti”) at Capo Capaccio in Romazzino on Sardinia.
© Maxar Technologies
Dmitry Arkadyevich Masepin earns his living as the boss and owner of the fertilizer companies Uralchem and Uralkali. He is said to have a special closeness to Vladimir Putin. Masepin is the bearer of a certificate of honor from the Russian government and has received, among other things, the Russian Medal for Bravery. His fortune is estimated at $1.3 billion to $3.2 billion.
His son, Nikita, is the main shareholder of Uralkali and started his racing career in karting in 2011. In 2021 he drove for a season with the Haas Formula 1 racing team, his teammate was Mick Schuhmacher. Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his team ended both their contracts and those with team sponsor Uralkali, his father’s company. Nikita and his father have been on the EU sanctions list since the beginning of March. The European Union banned both of them from entering the country and froze their family assets.
25 rooms, direct access to the Mediterranean Sea
This now also includes the “Rocky Ram” villa, which once belonged to the Italian businessman Carlo De Benedetti and whose current ownership has apparently been clarified. Their value should be between an estimated 105 to 113 million euros. The villa on the outskirts of the town of Romazzino in north-eastern Sardinia has 25 rooms, huge gardens and a swimming pool carved into the rock. The total living space should be more than 400 square meters. Satellite images also show a long jetty that allows for discreet boat trips through the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Other oligarchs such as Alisher Burkhanovitch Usmanov, Gennady Nikolayevich Timtschenko, Vladimir Sergeyevich Lissin and Pjotr Olegowitsch Aven are said to live in the immediate vicinity.
“A Case of Cancel Culture”
To date, neither Nikita nor his father Dmitri have distanced themselves from the Russian government or expressed any criticism of the invasion. In an interview with the BBC, the former racing driver said that in his eyes it was “a case of cancel culture, which is generally directed against athletes from my country”. On March 9, in his most recent Instagram video, he announced that he wanted to set up a foundation to help athletes who are unable to compete for political reasons. It will be financed by funds that Uralkali wanted to provide as a sponsorship for Haas.
source: Corriere della Sera, Union Sarda