Dutch Court Backs Squatters In Russian Tycoon's Mansion

Amsterdam, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Nov, 2022 ) :The elegant house overlooking Amsterdam's iconic Vondelpark would fit in nicely with its neighbouring dwellings, were it not for the huge anti-war banners draped down the outside.

Since last month a group of squatters have occupied the luxurious five-storey building belonging to Arkady Volozh, the sanctioned co-founder of Russian search engine giant Yandex.

A court has now authorised the squatters to stay, after they argued that the house was currently empty and that he planned to rent or sell it in breach of EU sanctions, instead of living there himself.

"Without the sanctions, the squatters would certainly have lost," one of their lawyers, Heleen over de Linden, told AFP.

"So, this is a very special case, yes." The squatters have made their message very clear to the rest of the world with three banners.

The first referred to the close relationship between Yandex and FSB, Russia's security service. Two others read "Against war", followed by "and capitalism".

AFP was denied access to the property on Thursday by a young woman who opened the door to a visitor who had given a password, which referred to a statement published on Wednesday on the website "Anarchist Federation".

"WE HAVE WON", the squatters said in capital letters in the statement, hailing a victory "for the whole movement of squatters and for all those who like to watch the (Russian) billionaires have their property confiscated".