Putin authorizes seizure of Ukrainian homes in occupied territorie

09:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Putin authorizes seizure of Ukrainian homes in occupied territorie

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new law enabling authorities in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine to seize residential property classified as “ownerless” through 2030. The measure applies to the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, which Moscow unilaterally declared annexed despite international condemnation.

Under the legislation, occupation administrations can confiscate houses, apartments, and other dwellings deemed abandoned or lacking proper ownership documentation. The absence of deeds or proof of ownership will no longer prevent such seizures, which may be justified under administrative criteria defined by Russian agencies including Rosreestr and Rosimushchestvo.

Officials said the reclaimed properties may be reassigned to Russian citizens who lost homes due to conflict or to public sector employees such as military personnel, teachers, and healthcare workers. The law also allows authorities to transfer confiscated housing to Russia’s Territorial Development Fund, which can then sell or lease them without public auctions. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin has been appointed to oversee the process, while Ilshat Shagiakhmetov, his former government secretary, has been named head of the fund.

International organizations and human rights groups have condemned the legislation as a flagrant breach of international law. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that thousands of homes have already been taken under similar schemes, calling it a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention’s ban on confiscating private property in occupied areas. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the move as part of Russia’s broader campaign to entrench control over illegally held territories and declared that all such measures would be nullified once these regions are liberated.

Human rights monitors warn that millions of displaced Ukrainians could permanently lose their property. According to recent findings, compensation for seized homes will only be available to residents who accept Russian citizenship, effectively pressuring locals to renounce their Ukrainian identity in exchange for limited legal protection.