Squatters in Russian oligarch's Amsterdam home can stay for now, court rules

The squatters in a Russian oligarch’s home on Vossiusstraat in Amsterdam can stay where they are for now, the Amsterdam Court of Appeals ruled. According to the court, evicting the squatters will lead to unjustified vacancy as the sanctions against the Russian owner prohibit him from using the property.

The squatters moved into the multi-million euro mansion in October last year. Russian billionaire Arkady Volozh, who is on the European sanctions list due to the war in Ukraine, owns the mansion. His company filed the lawsuit to get the squatters, who moved in as a protest against the Russian invasion, evicted. The first court also ruled in the squatters’ favor.

Volozh’s lawyer argued that the Russian billionaire wanted to renovate the mansion so that he and his family could live there. But the sanctions against Volozh mean his assets in Europe - including this property - are frozen. Therefore, he is not allowed to renovate or occupy the mansion. Evicting the squatters would leave the building vacant, and that is unjustified, the Court of Appeals ruled.

The court did, however, order the squatters to adhere to the residential rules of the building. That means they are not allowed to hold large events or cause nuisance for neighbors. If they don’t adhere to these rules, the court may still evict them.