29 October 2026, 18:43
In Crimea, the occupying forces have seized the property of more than 800 citizens and companies
Ця стаття також доступна українською
The building of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People in Simferopol. PHOTO: ppu.gov.ua
Since 2014, the Russian occupying authorities have unlawfully seized property belonging to at least 836 individuals and legal entities in annexed Crimea and Sevastopol. Under the pretext of combating “unfriendly actions,” the invaders have confiscated real estate, businesses, and land.
This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine in Crimea.
The process of property confiscation in Crimea intensified particularly between 2022 and 2025. In November 2022, the occupying administration expanded the grounds for illegal “nationalization.” This made it possible to seize the property of specific individuals or companies without a court hearing. A submission from the so-called anti-terrorism commission was sufficient for this.
The seized properties are transferred to the ownership of the occupying authorities so they can later be sold or used to generate revenue.
According to the occupying administration, the funds obtained in this manner are planned to be used, in particular, to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The Mission notes that the forced expropriation of land plots remains a separate mechanism for the unlawful deprivation of property rights. Such cases are being monitored. The Mission is aware of lawsuits concerning the forced sale of land whose owners failed to comply with the requirements of Russian Decree No. 201 of March 20, 2020. Currently, there are approximately 128 published “court decisions.”
Russian Presidential Decree No. 201 of March 20, 2020, classified most of the territories of the annexed Crimea as “border zones,” where foreigners are prohibited from owning land. Since the occupying authorities consider Ukrainians without Russian passports to be “foreigners,” they were required to divest themselves of their land plots within one year. If the owners failed to do so, the occupying courts began the forced seizure and auction sale of their land, which constitutes a gross violation of international law.
The Mission notes that in June 2025, it became known that 39,000 hectares of land had been seized under the pretext of declaring the land parcels “unclaimed.” This mechanism allows the occupying administration to deprive owners of their property without a trial.
Previously, the Mission emphasized that Ukraine does not recognize such “decisions” by the occupying administrations. It was noted that the rights of the affected property owners will be restored through the return of such property or through compensation in the form of reparations from the Russian Federation.
