The Russian occupation authorities have declared at least 521 hotels and holiday resorts on Ukraine's Sea of Azov coast "ownerless", with at least 77 of them already under the control of Russian businesses.
Source : a Reuters video investigation published on 2 November
Details : The journalists analysed orders issued by the occupation authorities, company and property registers and tourism development plans, as well as hundreds of photographs and videos.
Under the procedure described by Reuters, in 2022 owners were given just three days to personally present their property documents and passport to the occupation administration. Otherwise, the property was officially registered as "ownerless". The owners included Ukrainians who had fled because of the invasion and were unable to return.
At least 20 resort properties included on these lists have come under the control of a Russian state entity.
Examples include the Admiral and Perlyna Tavrii hotels in Kyrylivka. The Ukrainian owners of Perlyna Tavrii told Reuters that they had not handed over management of the hotel to the occupation authorities or anyone else, nor had they authorised its operation.
According to Russian corporate registers, the company operating the hotel was owned between 2023 and 2025 by the son of Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-appointed head of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The hotels are being advertised through new Russian websites, social media and bloggers. Among the offerings of one Russian tour operator, Reuters identified ten hotels that had previously been included on lists of "ownerless" properties.
At the same time, some of the properties remain closed. When the journalists attempted to book a room at the Admiral in July, they were told that the hotel had not opened for the 2026 summer season.
Background : On 22 October, a CIR investigation reported on Russia's financial control over the occupied territories. Occupation administrations are linking eligibility for certain social benefits to accounts with Russia's Promsvyazbank.
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