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Civilian evacuated from the Kursk border at the railway station of the border region invaded by Ukraine.
They force owners in occupied territories to make new registrations. But, to do so, you need to travel to the area occupied by the invaders and have a Russian passport. Properties that are not reregistered will be expropriated.
“My heart hurts. I built my whole life there. My business was bombed. Everything that was dear and important to me I had to leave behind. I hoped they would at least leave me the apartment. And now this blow.”
The outburst is from Ljudmyla (whose name was changed by DW for security reasons). Property owners in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine have until July 1, 2026 to claim their properties. Until that date, properties registered under Ukrainian legislation must be registered in Russian land registers.
But there is a big catch: owners have to appear at the Russian land register in occupied territory and identify themselves with a Russian passport, which is practically impossible for a large proportion of Ukrainian owners.
Ljudmyla fled the Zaporizhia region for Kiev in 2022 to escape the Russian occupation of her hometown. Even so, initially he continued to pay the expenses for his apartment.
“At first, it was a neighbor who took care of the apartment; then, my ex-husband. From New Year’s onwards, I decided to stop paying the expenses. I don’t even know if I was right to continue paying”, she says. “I hope my city is liberated.”
Ljudmyla says she does not intend to return to register the apartment with the occupation authorities.
“Firstly, I don’t want to see the occupants, because I’ve been there and I know what these people are like. And I don’t want to risk my life because of my nerves. Secondly, I don’t even know if they would let me in.”
Russia legalizes expropriations
As early as 2014, Russian occupiers began confiscating apartments from Ukrainians in occupied territories. In 2021, the authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic began to classify properties abandoned as “ownerless”. These properties can be sold or confiscated by “courts”.
In 2024, occupation authorities expanded the definition of “ownerless real estate” to include apartments or buildings that have been unoccupied for more than a year, whose expenses have not been paid, and whose owners are not in Russian registers.
As justification, they claimed that abandonment compromises the safety of the properties themselves. At the end of 2025, this procedure was formalized into Russian law at the federal level. Thus, these properties can be transferred to Russian citizens.
It is difficult to determine how many apartments have already been taken over by occupants. In August 2025, the head of the Russian registry authority, Oleg Skufinsky, declared that there are around 550 thousand “ownerless” properties in occupied Ukrainian areas. In Mariupol alone, almost 13 thousand homes are on a list published by the occupation authorities on their websites.
A property only leaves these lists if it is re-registered in the Russian real estate registry. Formally, Russian legislation does not require Russian citizenship for such registration. However, according to a source interviewed by DW, with contacts in the Donetsk occupation authorities, in practice, it is impossible to make the transfer without a Russian passport.
At the same time, Russia limited the validity of Ukrainian documents on real estate ownership until July 1, 2026 and made procedures more difficult: if earlier it was possible to issue a power of attorney through Russian consulates abroad, now Owners must attend a registration service at the location where the property is located. In other words, they have to travel to the occupied area.
Dangerous visits to occupied areas
Human rights activists warn Ukrainians not to travel to territories under Russian occupation.
“There are great risks. With a Ukrainian passport, it is only possible to enter through the checkpoint at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, where Russian authorities carry out so-called ‘filtering’. Something may displease them, such as responses or even content on their cell phone. It’s unpredictable. At best, there is a risk of being denied entry; at worst, detention, with uncertain consequences”, warns activist Onysija Senjuk, from the Ukrainian human rights center ZMINA.
According to the activist, Anyone who manages to enter will have to apply for a Russian passport in order to register the property, and “this also carries risks, such as obligation to perform compulsory military service in the Russian army” observes Senjuk.
The government in Kiev does not consider an application for a Russian passport to be collaboration when it is done to protect the life, property and safety of oneself and family members, explains Anatolij Kolesnikov, lawyer at the East SOS foundation. This organization provides aid mainly to the civilian population in eastern Ukraine.
Kolesnikov assumes that Russia, by demanding registration, intends to transform Ukrainian citizens into Russians. Furthermore, the objective would be to identify people considered disloyal to Russia in order to confiscate their assets. For him, this is a clear violation of Ukrainian and international law.
Compensation possibilities
Other experts told DW that they recommend property owners in occupied territories register their cases in the International Damage Register for Ukraine, created by the Council of Europe in May 2023 as a first step towards an international mechanism for compensation for victims of Russian aggression. However, it is still unclear when and how much compensation will be paid.
In Ukraine, there are already several compensation programs for property owners in occupied zones. One of them provides for payments for damaged or destroyed housing.
Furthermore, internally displaced people who participated in fighting or were injured in the war receive separate compensation of 2 million hryvnias, even if their properties in the occupied areas were not damaged.
However, Ljudmyla does not count on state help.
“I never expected help from the State. I simply work and trust in my own strength and in my daughter, who always helps me”, he says. Still, you intend to record your losses in the International Damage Registry.
