Russia has confiscated at least 25,000 apartments and houses in the occupied Ukrainian territories, turning this action into a systemic business.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin justifies the large-scale invasion, among other things, by “liberating” Russian-speaking regions. In reality, the territories under Russian occupation are subjected to widespread looting. This is the conclusion of an investigation published by Le Figaro.
The confiscation campaign has been underway since 2014. Under the pretext of “ownerless property“, Moscow takes over houses and apartments belonging to Ukrainians who are not listed in the Russian registers. In reality, this equates to a systematic expropriation of other people’s property.
Most cases were recorded in Mariupol: at least 13,000 apartments and houses fell under the control of the Russian occupiers. In March, the BBC reported that over 5,700 properties lost their legitimate owners as a result of Russian aggression. Large-scale confiscations also take place in other cities and localities.
In Energodar, where most residents have fled from occupation, their houses have been occupied by Russian forces. In Donetsk, apartments in central neighborhoods are being confiscated. In the mining town of Bryanka, near Luhansk, which has become a military logistics hub for the Russian Armed Forces, the local “authority” plans to take over about 400 apartments in old buildings from the Soviet era. In the resort of Kyrylivka, in the Zaporijia region, not only houses, but also hotels, restaurants, and sanatoriums – at least 70 properties – have been “confiscated”.
In most cases, the homes are transferred to Russian military personnel, intelligence officers, and government officials. Moreover, as a reward for participating in the aggression against Ukraine, veterans of the so-called “SVO” (Special Military Operation) receive lands and apartments. In Crimea, according to official data, about 2,500 such people have already become landowners by the sea. If the houses are not occupied by security forces or officials, they are sold at auction.
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