What happened on the 19th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
LONDON – On Monday, a Ukrainian flag hung from the windows of one of the white stucco mansions among the embassies located in Belgrave Square in London. Another banner hanging on the balcony below read, “This property has been vacated.”
A group of people in balaclavas were sitting on the balcony, dangling their legs and waving to a small group of followers as police surrounded the area.
On Sunday night, a group broke into a house to protest President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Home is one of the titles of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is on list of sanctions US Treasury Department.
“You are occupying Ukraine, we are occupying you,” the leaflet for the initiative of the self-described anarchists read, adding that the mansion, which belonged to “a Russian oligarch, an accomplice of Putin’s invasion,” will host Ukrainian refugees.
The UK has recently pledged to tighten laws on oligarchs. On Friday, she added Mr Deripasco, a well-connected industrialist known for being close to Mr Putin, to the list of sanctions, along with six other oligarchs.
The British government also announced on Sunday that it would examine the possibility of using the homes of sanctioned individuals for humanitarian purposes.
Mr Deripaska was one of the few oligarchs to speak out against the war in Ukraine, calling for peace and calling the war “madness”. He also opposed the sanctions on Twitter that there was no “single fact” to support the government’s decision to add it to the list.
According to the allegations 2006 court documentsMr Deripaska was the actual owner of the occupied house, but Mr Deripaska’s spokeswoman said the house belonged to members of his family and not to him personally.
“We are appalled by the negligence of the British justice system shown by Boris Johnson’s cabinet in imposing sanctions and negotiating with a range of people attacking private property,” spokeswoman Larisa Belyaeva said in an e-mail.
She added that the “witch hunt in Russia” will eventually end, but that “it is a real shame that this is happening in a country that is supposed to respect private property and the rule of law.”
Pictures of the castle from a Country Life Magazine, 1938 show off the luxurious interior in rococo. In 2002 when the house was in the square, is said to be one of the last private houses on the market, mostly used by embassies and institutions. It had seven reception rooms, seven bedrooms and a Turkish steam bath.
Protesters told reporters they had gotten lost in the house several times.
Jochen Lukesch, 61, a retired teacher, jumped out of bed in a suburb of East London when he heard on the radio that the mansion was busy. He wrapped himself in the Ukrainian flag and hurried to Belgrave Square.
“So gangsters live here,” he said as he marveled at the mansions before joining a small crowd of followers and shouting “Glory to Ukraine” or glory to Ukraine.
London Metropolitan Police said police officers were called to the estate early Monday and found only a handful of protesters on the balcony. Two people were detained on Monday afternoon as they tried to break through a police cordon around the building.
Tatiana Golovina, 59, a Russian businesswoman who had to take a detour in protest to get to her home near Belgrave Square, disagreed. She condemned the war in Ukraine, but said occupying private property was not the answer.
“It’s barbaric,” she said when she photographed the occupation, “it reminds me of the Russian Revolution of 1917.”