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Russia is expropriating parcels of land in annexed Crimea owned by foreigners, RIA Novosti reported today, cited by DPA.
A presidential decree prohibited foreigners from owning land in most of the Crimean peninsula, which was occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014. Nationalized parcels are mainly located in coastal areas such as Yalta, Kerch and Sudak.
According to the authorities, the owners are mainly from Ukraine, but also from Germany, Australia and Israel.
Putin’s new decree was preceded by another decree that took effect a year ago. Then the owners of some 11,500 properties were given up to a year to sell them to Russian citizens or companies, or to instruct the Russian state to make the sale.
In the second case, the money was promised to be transferred to the former owners.
Owners complained that travel restrictions during the pandemic made it difficult for them to comply with last year’s decree. The Ukrainian government has said it will take legal action in international courts. Russia justifies the move on security grounds.
In a small part of the territory of Crimea, the right of foreigners to own land and apartments is preserved.
The international community continues to regard the Crimean peninsula as an integral part of Ukraine. The EU, the United States and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russian natural and legal persons for the annexation, DPA recalled.
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