Threat of Evictions Darkens Russia’s Rosy Picture of Occupied Ukraine
A new law forces Ukrainians in the captured regions to get Russian title deeds or risk losing their homes. Recently built apartment buildings in Mariupol, a Russian-occupied Ukrainian city, last year. The Kremlin is trying to remake the city after its brutal siege, but many residents still lack homes. Credit... EPA, via Shutterstock By Nataliya Vasilyeva April 22, 2026 After Russia’s bloody 86-day siege of Mariupol , which damaged or destroyed up to 90 percent of the Ukrainian city’s residential buildings, residents who still had a home counted themselves lucky. But their luck may be running out. Under a new Russian law , the authorities in Mariupol, which has been occupied by Russia for four years, are threatening to seize property from owners who do not obtain a Russian title deed. The requirement, human rights advocates say, is intended to cement Russian domination of the occupied territories and cast doubt on Ukraine’s territorial claims in the future. The new rule...
