Poland plans to take control of disputed Russian property in Warsaw and turn it into accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Warsaw plans to take control of two apartment buildings used by Russian diplomats in the past and turn them into flats for Ukrainian refugees. Referred to by locals as Szpiegowo (“Spyville”), the properties are located at 100 Sobieski Street. They were built in the 1970s when Poland was part of the Soviet Bloc. Deserted in the 1990s, the estate became the subject of a legal dispute between Poland and Russia. In 2016, a district court in Warsaw ordered Russia to return the buildings and pay compensation to Poland. Moscow has so far failed to comply with the ruling. The decision to seize the property is a result of a decades-long legal battle and not Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski said that “in light of the recent developments” the city hall decided to refurbish the apartments and use them to house Ukrainian refugees in the future. According to Polish officials, Moscow has never had any legal basis to claim ownership of the building complex. “Spyville” was constructed as a result of an agreement between Poland and the Soviet Union which was supposed to grant Warsaw and Moscow rights to occupy property on their respective territories.
