The buyer wants it because of the climate: Russia auctions Zelenskiy’s apartment in Crimea

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According to a media report, Russian authorities have auctioned the apartment of the family of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 45, on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow. The property was sold at auction for 44.3 million rubles (the equivalent of about 420,000 francs), Russia’s state news agency Tass reported on Monday. That is about 200,000 euros above the starting price.

There were only two bidders in total. The approximately 120 square meter apartment in the luxury spa town of Yalta was nationalized by the Russian authorities in 2023.

Officially, the apartment belonged to Olena Selenska, Selenski’s wife. According to Tass, it is a three-room apartment with a view of the Black Sea and the Livadia Palace, the summer residence of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II. Zelenska bought the property in Crimea in 2013 – about a year before Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula in violation of international law. At the time, Selenski still earned his money as an actor and comedian.

Muscovite buys apartment because of the climate

The expropriation was made possible this year by a change in the law and a unanimous decision of the Crimean parliament. According to media reports, part of the revenues could flow into Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The buyer, Moscow resident Olga Lipovetskaya, was unimpressed by the history of the apartment and its previous owner. She told news portal Mash that she only bought the apartment because of its good location and climate.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has announced several times in the past that he also wants to liberate Crimea as part of a counter-offensive. (zis/SDA)

Source: Blick