A superyacht owned by a company linked to Igor Sechin, the chief executive of Russian energy giant Rosneft and close confidant of President Vladimir Putin, has been seized by the French Government. 

The vessel, Amore Vero, was seized at a shipyard at La Ciotat, near Marseille, the finance ministry said. 

"French customs carried out the seizure of the yacht Amore Vero in La Ciotat as part of the implementation of sanctions by the European Union against Russia," a statement said. 

The yacht was owned by a company "in which Sechin is the main shareholder."

The 85.6-metre (280 ft) boat was made by Netherlands-based yacht builder Oceanco. It features a swimming pool that turns into a helipad, as well multi-decks - including one with a jacuzzi.

German authorities have also seized the $600 million 150-meter-long superyacht Dilbar belonging to billionaire Alisher Usmanov, Forbes magazine has reported, although it has not yet been confirmed. 

The French Riviera coast is a playground for ultra-wealthy Russians. Many spend their summers there on yachts and in luxury villas. Paris has said that it was drawing up a list of assets in France owned by oligarchs, including the usual yachts, luxury cars and properties.

"If I were an oligarch, in Russia or France, I'd be worried," French Foreign Minister Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. 

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Sechin is a well-known name, along with Nikolay Tokarev, the boss of pipeline mammoth Transneft. The tycoon is considered one of Russia's most powerful men with a sphere of influence that spreads beyond leadership of the Rosneft energy giants. 

Similarly to Putin, he hails from Saint Petersburg and has worked with the Russian president since the early days of his career in the mayor's office during the 1990s. 

Alisher Usmanov, metals magnate Alexei Mordashov, and businessman and Putin friend Gennady Timchenko are all ranked within Russia's 10 top richest by Forbes. 

Chelsea Football Club's Russian owner Roman Abramovich is also selling the English Premier League club. In a statement on the Premier League club's website, businessman Abramovich said he had made the "incredibly difficult decision" which "pains" him.

He will not ask "for any loans to be repaid" and said proceeds of the sale would be donated to war victims.

Beyond Europe, The U.S. has launched a "KleptoCapture" taskforce to also seize such afforementioned assets of wealthy Russian oligarchs. 

Russians have long been major buyers of superyachts, which are pleasure vessels classed as being more than 30 meters long. Normally, they are owned by companies registered in low-tax jurisdictions such as the Cayman islands. 

The London-based Superyacht group estimates that they make up about 10 percent of the global market. 

The EU sanctions are expected to badly hit the business of European superyacht builders concentrated in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Britain, as well as the thousands of people who serve as crew. 

Campaigners have long argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin depends on the loyalty of the tight group of businessmen around and say that targeting their wealth is a way of weakening their wealth and influence. 

Correction:  A photograph of a home in New York belonging to Len Blavatnik has been removed as the caption incorrectly described him as Russian. Blavatnik was born in the Ukraine and is now a citizen of the U.S. and the UK.