The Russian occupation authorities in the occupied territories of Ukraine are carrying out mass confiscations of housing, declaring Ukrainian apartments “ownerless” and transferring them to new residents from the Russian Federation. According to The Wall Street Journal, this is accompanied by a program to resettle ethnic Russians in Mariupol, which opens the real estate market to Kremlin-linked construction companies.
According to the publication, thousands of apartments in the city have already been declared “ownerless,” and former owners face obstacles in returning them, confirming ownership, or receiving compensation. For immigrants from Russia, preferential conditions apply — in particular, a mortgage at 2% for new buildings.
A similar strategy, where local residents are replaced by ethnic Russians, has been implemented by Moscow before. After the capture of Mariupol, the occupiers began selling off the apartments of the fled residents, sometimes for pennies. While workers cleared the rubble, realtors bought up real estate, and visitors from the Russian Federation made purchases.
For example, a Russian woman from Siberia bought an apartment that needed only minor repairs and plans to spend her retirement there. She will temporarily rent the apartment to a Muscovite who already works in Mariupol.
Former city resident Oleksandr Nosochenko said that his seaside dacha was occupied by a Russian military man. Due to the risk of mobilization, he cannot come to collect compensation, and his wife refuses to return for reasons of principle.
A special symbol of the city's transformation was the "House with a Clock" - a landmark of Mariupol, which the occupiers included in the reconstruction plan. At first, residents were promised apartments in a new building erected in its place, but later the law was changed and only allowed relocation to any other point in the city.
Resident Olena Pudak said her mother was denied entry to Russia when she tried to come to collect compensation. Pudak believes the occupation authorities are deliberately blocking access to those with property claims.
Although Russian media shows videos of “rebuilt” Mariupol, the reality is different. According to local residents, repairs are being carried out only on the central streets for pictures, and cameras are brought in specifically for filming. Meanwhile, many people still live in dilapidated apartments, where the walls are barely holding up.
Mariupol has been under occupation for over three years, and, according to journalists, the “reconstruction” program has actually become a tool for redistributing housing and changing the demographic composition of the city.
