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Russia Seizes Ukrainian Homes to House Migrants From Cuba and India in Temporarily Occupied Regions
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Russian occupation authorities are settling migrants in the homes of Ukrainians in occupied parts of Kherson region and Crimea.
According to the partisan movement ATESH on January 27, a mass arrival of foreign nationals has been recorded in several temporarily occupied cities, including Melitopol and Yevpatoria. Most of the arrivals are reportedly citizens of Cuba and India.
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They are being recruited for low-paid jobs in the utilities and housing sector, promised Russian citizenship, and housed in so-called ownerless properties left vacant after local residents fled the occupation, the movement reported.
ATESH says the policy is driven by several factors. Firstly, there is an acute labor shortage caused by the mass departure of residents from Kherson region amid conditions imposed by Russian forces. Secondly, it reflects efforts to reshape the demographic composition of the occupied territories in favor of groups seen as more “loyal to the Putin regime”. Finally, it appears aimed at preparing to use migrants in upcoming sham elections to secure large-scale voting for the ruling United Russia party.
According to sources cited by ATESH, the process is allegedly overseen by Oksana Mekhanicheva, described as the so-called first deputy minister of housing and utilities of the occupation “Republic of Crimea.”
“Altering the ethnic composition of an occupied territory through the mass settlement of settlers or the forced expulsion or displacement of local residents is a war crime under international law,” ATESH added.
The policy is unfolding alongside a broader effort to legalize the large-scale seizure of property in temporarily occupied territories. Russia has introduced a mechanism that allows occupation administrations to confiscate homes by labeling them “ownerless,” creating a pathway for the redistribution of seized property to newly imported residents.
According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, Russia has formally approved legislation empowering occupation authorities to designate apartments and houses in seized territories as “unclaimed” and reassign them to new users.
“The expropriation will continue until 2030. This is the political deadline—the end of Vladimir Putin’s fifth term. Although the practice of seizing housing under the pretext of fabricated ‘abandonment’ has long existed in the temporarily occupied territories, the Kremlin has now elevated it to the federal level. Specific officials in Moscow offices are now responsible for the process,” the Center for Countering Disinformation said.
As a result, the risk affects not only those who were forced to flee the war, but also residents who remain under occupation.
As of November 2025, Russian authorities generated more than $48.5 million from the sale of property confiscated from Ukrainians in temporarily occupied Crimea, Radio Svoboda reported, citing comments by Larisa Kulinich, Russia’s minister for property and land relations in the peninsula.
According to Kulinich, the assets sold included an apartment in Yalta belonging to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Villa Elena real estate complex, the Bakaleya shopping center, and several hotels, including One Thousand and One Nights and Hotel Europe in Alushta.
Earlier, Russia-installed authorities in temporarily occupied Crimea said they had expanded the list of assets slated for confiscation, adding property linked to 84 additional individuals and companies. The newly expanded list includes Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, a native of Simferopol.
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