Russian authorities have granted owners of land and real estate in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine until July 1, 2026 to claim ownership of any property originally registered under Ukrainian law.
But to re-register their property in the Russian land registry, owners have to appear in person and present a Russian passport as proof of their identity — an impossibility for many Ukrainians.
"It breaks my heart," said Lyudmila (name changed.) "I built my whole life there. My business was bombed. I had to leave behind everything I held dear. I had hoped they would at least let me keep my apartment."
In 2022, she fled the Zaporizhzhia region to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to escape the Russian occupation. But she continued to pay the utility bills for her home. "At first, a neighbor kept an eye on the apartment, and after that my ex-husband did. Then I decided that starting with New Year's Day, I would stop paying the bills. I don't know if I was even right to pay them in the first place," Lyudmyla told DW. "I am waiting for my city to be liberated."
Until then, she doesn't intend to go home to re-register her apartment with the occupying authorities. "First of all, I don't want to see the occupiers because I was there and I know what these people are like. And I don't want to lose years of my life and get stressed. Second, I don't even know if they would let me in."
