Putin signs law allowing seizure of housing in temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine

The Russian occupation authorities in occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts have been granted the right to, until 2030, seize housing belonging to Ukrainians who fled the war. The law was signed on 15 December by Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin.

Source: The Moscow Times, an independent Amsterdam-based news outlet

Details: Under the law, "houses, flats and rooms showing signs of ownerless property" located in the occupied territories of Ukraine will be recognised as the property of the regions or their municipalities.

The criteria for determining "ownerless" status will be set by the occupation administrations themselves in coordination with Russia's state bodies Rosreestr and Rosimushchestvo.

The absence of information about the owner or the inability to establish ownership based on available documents will not prevent seizure.

The law provides for various uses of confiscated property. It may be allocated to Russian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territories who have lost housing "due to hostilities, sabotage, terrorist attacks or acts of aggression against the Russian Federation".

In addition, the "authorities" may designate seized properties as service housing for civil servants, military personnel, officials, law enforcement officers, teachers and doctors.

Background: The occupation authorities of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic have been persuading residents that consuming mining water is a "suitable alternative" to drinking water, effectively replacing destroyed infrastructure with a toxic surrogate.Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!