Police on Monday moved in to evict squatters who had occupied a London mansion suspected of belonging to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who was positioned on Britain’s sanctions record final week in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sporting riot gear, officers entered the multi-million pound mansion which the squatters had earlier occupied in Belgrave Sq., in an upmarket space of the British capital and residential to quite a few overseas embassies.
Nevertheless, they remained in a standoff with the squatters who gathered on the balcony on the entrance of the property the place they’d unfurled a Ukrainian flag and positioned a banner studying ‘This property has been liberated’.
“You occupy Ukraine, we occupy you,” stated a press release from the squatters, who described themselves as anarchists.
“By occupying this mansion, we wish to present solidarity with the folks of Ukraine, but in addition the folks of Russia who by no means agreed to this insanity.”
Police stated they’d searched the property and have been happy there was nobody inside.
“We proceed to interact with these on the balcony as we steadiness the necessity for enforcement with the protection of all concerned,” police stated on Twitter.
Britain froze the property of Deripaska final Thursday, considered one of plenty of Russian oligarchs focused within the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin has known as a “particular army operation”.
Deripaska, who has stakes in power firm En+ Group which owns one of many world’s main aluminium producers UC Rusal RUAL.MM, is value an estimated 2 billion kilos and has a multi-million pound property portfolio in Britain, the British authorities stated on the time.
Britain says Deripaska is carefully related to the federal government of Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
London Excessive Courtroom paperwork from 2007 recognized Deripaska because the useful proprietor of the Belgrave Sq. mansion. A decide in a court docket case the yr earlier than stated the property and one other home he owned outdoors the capital, have been then value about 40 million kilos ($52 million).
Representatives of Deripaska didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Shortly earlier than the sanctions have been imposed, Deripaska stated peace was wanted as quickly as doable in Ukraine and warned that Russia can be completely different after the battle.
Britain has up to now sanctioned about 20 Russian oligarchs, together with Chelsea soccer membership proprietor Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov, freezing their properties throughout London and banning them from coming to Britain.
“Squatting in residential buildings is against the law however we’re working to establish the suitable use for seized properties whereas house owners are topic to sanctions,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson instructed reporters. “We definitely don’t assume folks ought to break the legislation.”
(Reuters)