Russian-installed officials selling Ukrainian properties including Zelenskyy’s in Crimea
Sep 16, 2023
Moscow [Russia], September 16 : A number of Ukrainian-owned properties in annexed Crimea, including one owned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have been announced for sale by Russian-installed officials, CNN reported.
Vladimir Konstantinov, the chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, announced plans to sell 100 "nationalised properties" in a message on Telegram.
“These are residential premises, including the apartment of the Zelensky couple, sanatorium and resort facilities, retail and commercial facilities,” Konstantinov said on Saturday, as reported by CNN.
According to Konstantinov, the Russian installed authorities anticipate receiving about 800 million Rubles (USD 8.2 million) from the sale of the properties.
The Crimean Parliament's speaker, Konstantinov, announced that a special panel will keep working to "identify the property of Ukrainian oligarchs in Crimea."
In 2014, Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine. Most powerful nations around the world view the annexation of the peninsula as illegal.
In an effort to inflict both strategic and symbolic blows against Russian soldiers, Ukraine has recently refocused some of its military operations in the area and increased the number of missile and drone strikes on Crimea, according to CNN.
While Kyiv's leaders have long maintained that they are still committed to reclaiming all of Russia's occupied territories, including Crimea, their allies have expressed some scepticism about the sharply increased attention on the peninsula as the country's counteroffensive struggles to gain traction on the front lines.
A Ukrainian source familiar with the plan told CNN that Ukraine maintains that the attacks on Crimea, which have targeted Russian naval bases and vessels, are an essential component of their counteroffensive strategy. This strategy aims to try to isolate the peninsula and make it more difficult for Russia to maintain its military operations on the Ukrainian mainland.
Attention turned to Crimea after Russia allowed the Black Sea Grain Initiative to expire in July, CNN reported.
