The Russian State Duma has finally passed a law allowing apartments and houses in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to be declared ‘ownerless’ and confiscated.
This was reported by the Centre for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
‘The expropriation will continue until 2030. This is a ’political deadline‘ — the end of Putin’s fifth term. Despite the fact that the practice of “seizing” housing through fictitious ’ownerless” status has existed in the temporarily occupied territories for a long time, the Kremlin has now raised it to the federal level. Specific officials in Moscow offices are responsible for the process,” the statement said.
There are no clear criteria for housing subject to expropriation; they will be determined by the occupation administrations themselves, which opens the way for mass appropriation of real estate. In fact, this means that any housing belonging to people who have left because of the war can be declared ‘ownerless.’ As noted by the CPD, people who have remained under occupation may also be left without housing.
The seized housing will be transferred to Russian military personnel, security forces, officials and public sector employees brought in from the Russian Federation.
‘Russia has legalized looting in the temporarily occupied territories. In other words, there is a deliberate replacement of local people with a loyal population,’ the Centre for Policy Analysis explained.