Polish foreign ministry initiates process of seizure of Russian real estate

Poland’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it has initiated the process of the seizure of Russian real estate in the country, including the building of a secondary school at the Russian embassy.

"The foreign ministry has filed a motion with the relevant government agencies to institute enforcement proceedings in respect of two facilities, which are illegally possessed by Russia and are not used for diplomatic and consular purposes," it said.

According to the ministry, these facilities are to be returned to their legal owner - the State Treasury - under court rulings.

"Apart from that, the foreign ministry recommends all available procedural means be used to speed up court hearings of other cases linked with real estate," it said, adding that this decision was motivated by the discrepancy between the number of real estate assets in the ownership in the Polish-Russian relations and the absence of any prospects to find solution to this matter in the foreseeable future.

"There are a lot of real estate in Poland that are occupied by Russia illegally. We must return them. This decision was taken at the highest level of the Polish state. These buildings should accommodate people suffering from the war [in Ukraine]," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz wrote on his Twitter account.

The Polish side claims that several diplomatic compounds in Warsaw and Gdansk are used by Russia without valid agreements. Moscow says, however, that Russian diplomatic facilities in Poland are Russia’s property.