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Ukrainians forced out of their homes by the Russian military now face the prospect of permanent loss of their property under a new Russian law. Signed by Vladimir Putin on December 15, 2025, Federal Law No. 518-FЗ authorizes Russian authorities in illegally annexed Ukrainian territories (the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson) to seize, through 2030, any property deemed “ownerless.”

To be legally recognized as the owner of real estate in an occupied territory, one must hold Russian citizenship and have re-registered property with the occupying authorities. For a Ukrainian, obtaining Russian citizenship takes about two years.

Seized properties become the possession of municipalities or regional governments and, according to the law, are to be redistributed to Russians who lost their homes “as a result of acts of aggression against the Russian Federation.” The Russian legislature is thereby reversing the roles, depicting the plunderer as the victim. The homes will also be redistributed as official housing for civil servants, military personnel, teachers and doctors – in other words, socio-professional groups regarded as loyal because they depend on the state. The political objective is clear: “To accelerate the integration of annexed territories.”