Berlin's crumbling 'Russian houses' trapped in bureaucratic limbo

"The thorny issue of what to do with Russian assets has not only stumped Western leaders but also officials in Berlin who are saddled with three crumbling buildings belonging to Moscow. Known locally as the "Russian houses", they sheltered Soviet soldiers and their families in the eastern neighbourhood of Karlshorst, the site of the Nazis' final capitulation, which then housed the Soviet military's headquarters in communist East Germany."

"Germany has been Ukraine's second-biggest backer, and diplomatic relations between Berlin and Moscow are in the freezer. Other Russia-linked property in Germany, such as the subsidiaries of oil giant Rosneft, have also been in limbo, with the fear of retaliation hanging over any attempt to seize them. Only raccoons are said to live in the Karlshorst buildings and birch saplings are sprouting out of a balcony."

"Karlshorst's representative in the assembly of the city-state of Berlin, Ukrainian-born Lilia Usik, has over the past two years been trying to ascertain if the buildings can be seized or possibly used to help Ukraine. Usik says locals have "asked again and again: 'What's happening with the houses? Can you do something about them?'" But tricky questions around property rights and multiple layers of bureaucracy mean there is no sign of a quick resolution."

Three crumbling Moscow-owned apartment blocks in Berlin's Karlshorst, known as the "Russian houses", housed Soviet soldiers and families when the Soviet military headquarters was based there; they have stood empty since Russian troops left in 1994. European sanctions after Russia's 2022 invasion have not changed their status, while Germany's close support for Ukraine has frozen diplomatic relations with Moscow and other Russia-linked assets in Germany remain in legal limbo. Karlshorst representative Lilia Usik has spent two years trying to determine whether the buildings can be seized or repurposed to help Ukraine, and residents have repeatedly asked for action.

Read at The Local Germany