From 'Ownerless Property' to Municipalization: Dwelling Appropriation in Russia-Occupied Cities in Ukraine

• In Event: Land, Property, Ownership at the Imperial Crossroads II

Abstract

This paper examines dwelling appropriation as a dimension of occupation in Eastern Ukraine. Since 2022, in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, thousands of dwellings have been classified as "ownerless" - first in official declarations and subsequently in numerous legal texts enacted by the occupying administrations. Most of these dwellings belonged to residents who were forced to flee due to war and/or occupation, beginning in 2014 and increasingly so since 2022. This “legal” framework was established even though the legislative bodies and government responsible for its adoption were not recognized by most of the international community. Furthermore, it directly contradicts multiple legal texts, particularly those governing housing property rights as defined under both Ukrainian and Russian law. Nevertheless, this framework has, de facto, allowed the seizure of property through municipalization, the redistribution of housing to new residents, and the consolidation of control by the occupying administration over the affected territories. Drawing on literature on settler colonialism and housing property regimes in post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine, this study analyzes the legal texts issued by the occupying administration and the spatial patterns of property seizures. It demonstrates how the "ownerless" property policy, combined with settlement incentives for people from Russia, contributes to the colonial administration of housing in occupied Ukraine.

Author

• Guénola Inizan, Lumière U Lyon 2 (France)