Russia Sells Zelensky’s Black Sea Vacation Home to Fund War | world news
Russia said Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s vacation home in Crimea had been nationalized and will be sold to fund the invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin-installed puppet leader of the region, illegally annexed in 2014, announced the decision to nationalize 57 properties owned by Ukrainian tycoons, public figures and foreign nationals.
Referring to the President’s apartment, Sergei Aksyonov said on behalf of his wife: “Crimea will regain the rights to a number of properties, including a building in Simferopol belonging to the banned Crimean Tatar Parliament and Olena Zelenska’s apartment.”
“Enemies of Russia will not make money in Russian Crimea.”
Before Mr Zelenskyy was elected President of Ukraine in 2019, he was the country’s most popular comedian and co-owner of a successful television production company.
He and his wife bought the apartment in Livadia back in 2013 but were never able to live there due to ongoing works and annexation, reports The Telegraph.
According to state-controlled Russian media, the “three-bedroom penthouse” is worth an estimated £647,000 ($800,000).
Chairman of the State Council of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov said: “Of course it’s not a big loss for him (Zelensky).”
The state news agency TASS reported that the proceeds will also benefit the families of fallen soldiers and those of men who were called up as part of a partial military mobilization.
It was reported that around 700 properties have been nationalized since last fall, including assets belonging to Ukrainian politicians Serhiy Taruta and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and Ukrainian billionaire businessmen Ihor Kolomoiskyi and Rinat Akhmetov.
Both TASS and other state-controlled Russian media outlets have been cited as sources of disinformation in the context of Russian influence operations.
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