Russia refuses to take responsibility for destroyed Ukrainian homes An apartment building destroyed by Russia. Photo: National Resistance Center

Residents of apartment blocks in temporarily occupied Luhansk Oblast will be required to pay contributions for major repairs to their homes, as the Russian authorities do not want to be held responsible for destruction caused by the hostilities.

Source: Ukraine's National Resistance Center (NRC)

Details: From 2027, residents of multi-storey buildings in temporarily occupied Luhansk Oblast will be obliged to pay fees for major repairs to their housing.

The Russian occupying authorities are drafting a "legislative framework", framing the decision as routine practice and a necessary measure to "restore the housing stock", the centre said.

The initiative is officially justified by the poor condition of the buildings: 85% of the over 12,000 apartment blocks require significant repairs.

Most repairs are currently funded by Russia's Territorial Development Fund. Instead of fully rebuilding homes destroyed during the war, the expenses will be passed on to residents of the temporarily occupied territories, many of whom are already struggling economically.

"The occupiers are effectively absolving themselves of responsibility for the aftermath of hostilities and years of infrastructure degradation," the centre said.

With low incomes, high unemployment and limited transparency, the new contributions risk becoming less a tool for recovery and more an additional financial burden on residents of the temporarily occupied territories.

"Such practices indicate a systemic approach by the occupation authorities to rolling back social obligations, whereby the consequences of war and governance failures are shifted onto the civilian population," the centre added.

Background:

• Russia's illegal administration in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast continues "checks of ownerless property", sparking disagreements among different Russian agencies over control of these assets.
• The National Resistance Center also reported that in temporarily occupied Luhansk Oblast, Russian authorities plan to "legally formalise" agricultural land belonging to owners who were forced to flee the war.
• Earlier reports indicated that the Russian authorities in Kherson Oblast claimed to have completed a government quarter near Henichesk, even though the buildings had been constructed before the full-scale invasion.

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