Occupied Mariupol’s Apartment Grab: How “Ownerless” Homes Are Reassigned to Security Forces
Photo source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-29/inside-mariupol-three-years-after-russia-took-control-of-city/105326412
In occupied Mariupol, thousands of apartments are being systematically reclassified as so-called “ownerless” property and transferred to municipal control, where they are later redistributed, often to security personnel. According to estimates by the Dossier Center, by early November 2025 nearly 7,000 apartments had already fallen into this category, with new properties added every week. In practice, these homes are not abandoned at all: they have legal owners who are unable to confirm their rights under Russian occupation rules deliberately designed to be impossible to meet.
The core mechanism is bureaucratic exclusion. Occupation authorities now require the physical presence of all co-owners to re-register property under Russian law, alongside possession of a Russian passport. For many Mariupol residents this is unattainable. Families fled during heavy fighting, owners live in Europe or unoccupied Ukraine, and men aged 23 to 60 are legally barred from leaving Ukraine. Even those willing to attempt the process face another barrier: entry into Russia is restricted almost exclusively through Sheremetyevo Airport, where “filtration” procedures arbitrarily deny entry to large numbers of Ukrainians, often without explanation.
This system does not only target people openly hostile to Russia. On the contrary, it increasingly hits residents who publicly supported the “Russian world” narrative and expected protection, not dispossession. Several pro-Russian families attempting to return to Mariupol have been denied entry at Sheremetyevo, labeled as security risks, and deported after hours of interrogation. Their apartments, meanwhile, quietly appear on occupation administration lists as potential “ownerless” property, opening the door to confiscation and reassignment.
Alongside formal expropriation, a parallel shadow market has emerged. For roughly $6,500, intermediaries promise to “save” an apartment from the ownerless list and later facilitate its sale. These schemes reportedly involve Ukrainian notaries willing to provide blank documents, Russian fixers connected to local authorities, and protection from influential figures linked to the security services. Journalists investigating the process undercover were able to confirm that such arrangements function openly, despite the ongoing war and strict border controls.
The result is a large-scale redistribution of urban property under the cover of legality and security rhetoric. Apartments taken from absent owners are increasingly allocated to силовики and occupation officials, consolidating loyalty while reshaping Mariupol’s property map. Publicly, the process is framed as administrative necessity. In reality, it operates as a controlled asset grab that punishes displacement, rewards proximity to power, and leaves even the most loyal supporters exposed once their property becomes more valuable than their politics.
Author: Victoria Orlova
