"I’m your neighbor Volodya. Your apartments have been sold. Call me urgently."

This is how the shocking ordeal began for sisters Olena and Svitlana Kolisnychenko—through a note that revealed, behind their backs and without their knowledge, their property in annexed Crimea had been sold. A Russian soldier now lives in their apartment, while they are left to seek justice from Kyiv, facing bureaucracy, fear, and the indifference of the occupying authorities.

But the Kolisnychenko case is far from isolated. It’s just one link in a widespread system of expropriating Ukrainian property in Crimea under the guise of Russian law. The schemes vary—from forged powers of attorney to “nationalization” followed by dirt-cheap auctions. The goal is the same: erase Ukrainian presence from the peninsula.

 

The Occupation Scheme: How Homes Are Stolen and Sold

In 2007, Olena Kolisnychenko purchased two apartments in Feodosia. She and her mother moved to Crimea but refused to take Russian citizenship after the annexation. The war and the pandemic kept them in Kyiv, and then their neighbor—who had stayed behind—suddenly went silent.

In spring 2024, a notice arrived: a man named Seytumer Kurseitovych now lived in their apartment. He turned out to be a former Ukrainian soldier who had defected to Russia and had been wanted since 2014. He now “owned” Olena’s apartment, allegedly through a “black” notary and forged documents.

"The neighbor likely handed over the apartment to the military and then helped sell it," says Svitlana Kolisnychenko. "He even received a subsidy from Russia’s Ministry of Defense and registered three children at that address."

According to Olena, there are at least seven such cases in their building alone. It’s a mass phenomenon: under the pretense of legal property registration in favor of Russian servicemen, the reality is large-scale property raids involving local notaries loyal to Moscow.

 

Land Confiscation: The Case of Yuliia Stezhko

Not just apartments—land is at risk too. In 2008, Yuliia Stezhko from Kyiv Oblast bought a seaside plot in Alupka, dreaming of building a family home. But in 2020, Putin declared almost all of Crimea a "border zone," prohibiting “foreigners”—which now includes all Ukrainians in Russia’s view—from owning land.

“I was given no choice: either sell it, or it would be confiscated and auctioned off,” says Yuliia. She has no idea what happened to the land, but Russian records suggest it has already been transferred to a new "owner."

Human rights advocates report that between 2014 and 2024, the number of land plots owned by "foreigners" has halved. Many Ukrainians aren’t even aware that they’ve lost their property.

 

Rights That Don’t Exist in Russia

After Crimea's 2014 annexation, Ukraine filed an interstate complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In 2024, the court ruled Russia’s actions illegal, including the expropriation of property. However, since 2022, Russia no longer recognizes the ECHR’s jurisdiction and refuses to comply with its rulings.

Still, human rights defenders persist. The ECHR continues to review individual claims like Yuliia Stezhko’s. Over 1,100 such applications have been registered from Ukrainians in Crimea—60% related to illegal property seizures.

 

A Strategy of Erasure: This Is More Than Just Property Theft

“These aren’t isolated incidents. This is a deliberate policy,” emphasizes human rights advocate Mykyta Petrovets. He explains that banning Ukrainians from owning property is part of a broader strategy to push out pro-Ukrainian populations and reinforce Crimea’s “historically Russian” narrative.

Since 2014, Russian authorities have confiscated hundreds of properties. In 2024 alone, 900 properties were seized, generating nearly 3 billion rubles in sales. The proceeds are used to “reward” military personnel and relocate Russian settlers to the peninsula.

What to Do if You Own Property in Crimea

Human rights groups advise:

• Monitor the status of your property, especially if you're not on-site.
• Record any changes: correspondence, bills, sale notices.
• Seek legal aid: organizations like the Helsinki Human Rights Union help prepare cases for the ECHR.
• Don’t acknowledge “nationalization”—under international law, ownership remains with the rightful Ukrainian owners.

Not Just a Fight for Property, But for Justice

For people like Olena, Svitlana, and Yuliia, this is not just about property—it’s about justice. Even if the homes can’t be recovered, their efforts document crimes that one day will demand accountability. “Let it be like a mosquito bite to a hippopotamus, but it will leave a mark,” says Yuliia Stezhko. And it’s from these tiny bites that resistance grows—resistance that refuses to let Crimea be erased from Ukrainian memory.

Source: https://ru.krymr.com/a/lyudi-begut-kto-kak-mozhet-kak-rossiya-vytesnyayet-krymchan-iz-kryma/33416102.html

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19.05.2025 07:35