Russia Oligarch’s House Overtaken by Squatters: They Can Stay

• Aktivists occupied a house owned by Arkady Vozh, a Russian oligarch sanctioned.
• Despite Yandex’s best efforts, a judge ruled the squatters could stay.
• Volozh was not the first sanctioned, European-based oligarch to see his property taken over by Volozh.

According to local reports, a court ruled that the Dutch home of a Russian oligarch was safe from invasion by a group of squatters. 

Arkady Volozh, a billionaire, moved in with squatters to his five-story luxury home on October 27. According to De Telegraaf (a Dutch newspaper),. Volozh’s lawyers asked for them to be expelled, but a judge ruled that they do not have to go. Dutch news network RTL reported. 

Volozh is March, sanctioned in March by the EUfor financial assistance to Russia’s government and faciliating state media narratives through Yandex, the search engine he cofounded. Volozh, Yandex CEO, resigned in June.

As part of the measures, his Amsterdam home was frozen. The house, which is located in an exclusive neighborhood, is among the most expensive in Amsterdam and overlooks the Vondelpark. 

Jo, a squat organizer, said that the property was unoccupied and had nine baths. She said that each floor has a sauna and a toilet. According to the paper, several people moved in, mostly students. 

This squat is occurring amid a larger housing crisis in Amsterdam where property prices have been high for a long time. Online photos show that the property was decorated with banners reading “Against war and capitalism.”

Dutch squatting laws were tightened in 2010 and often depend on how a property is being used. Volozh and his family want to move to the building. Volozh’s lawyers said that the building was not empty due to extensive renovations. Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reported.

However, the judge was skeptical. He pointed out that Volozh is not allowed to enter the EU or even the house because of sanctions.

This is not the first protest against sanctioned Russian officials’ properties. Oleg Deripaska, a billionaire oligarch, was stormed by activists in Belgravia, London, March 2013. as Insider’s Rebecca Cohen and Sinéad Baker reported.

The same time, A massive villa on the coast of Biarritz was broken into by activists.The ex-husband Kirill Shamalov is the registered owner of the. Maria Tikhanova, Putin’s little girl. They said that they would like to host Ukrainian refugees in their country.