Russians confiscating abandoned Ukrainian homes in occupied territories

The process begins with Russians inspecting abandoned homes, with a specific focus on properties where owners have been delinquent in paying their utility bills. This primarily affects individuals who were forced to abandon their residences due to the occupation.

These occupied properties are officially marked with the label “property of the military administration” and are then allocated to Russian military personnel.

The NRC suggests that this strategy effectively aids Russian military forces in acquiring the homes left behind by Ukrainians who fled the occupation.

Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the temporarily occupied Melitopol, had previously reported that Russians in the captured portion of Zaporizhzhya Oblast are confiscating homes from local residents. He mentioned that apartments of those who have evacuated the occupied territories are the first to undergo a process referred to as “nationalization” by the occupying forces.

Furthermore, Fedorov noted that the Russians seem indifferent to whether these properties are currently inhabited.