This week, the so-called “people’s council of the luhansk people’s republic” (a pseudo-regional government body created by the Kremlin) considered amendments to the local “law” according to which the occupation administrations identify, use and recognize the right of municipal ownership of municipalities to residential premises that have signs of “ownerless property.”
The draft law provides for the provision of residential premises that the occupiers have recognized as ownerless. This applies primarily to employees of the power bloc agencies, social workers, and citizens who have lost their homes and are registered as needing housing.
The occupiers practiced forced evictions from settlements close to the front line to use civilian buildings to accommodate the military. The Russian occupation administrations also allocated such housing for civil servants brought from Russia to work with the occupation authorities. Such apartments and houses are also sold at low prices to Russians who intend to settle in the TOT of Ukraine. The Kremlin is constantly encouraging such resettlement, as it wants to fully Russify the occupied territories.
In addition, Russians do not pay attention to possible technical features of the premises and deviations from the established norms. This indicates a disregard for the safety issue and possible settlement over the requirements for the area for one person. Such tolerances were introduced to create opportunities for the least demanding residents of Russia and migrants from Central Asia to move in.
The occupiers do not recognize property documents issued under Ukrainian law and demand that they be reissued under Russian law. Property owners must first obtain a Russian passport and then confirm their ownership of the property. The occupiers’ demands are forcing Ukrainian citizens to risk their lives by crossing over to the TOT to save their property.
However, we remind you that the occupiers’ actions have no legal consequences. We strongly recommend that Ukrainian citizens who resided in the TOT keep original documents or their certified copies or scanned/photographed digital copies in cloud storage (Google Drive, Proton Drive, etc.). This allows you to confirm your ownership of real and personal property, land plots, etc.
You can stop the policy of the Russian invaders and their collaborators by publicizing their crimes and demanding their international prosecution. You can also participate in rallies in support of Ukraine or donate to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
