Kremlin slams Czech Republic's 'unacceptable' sanctions against Russian properties abroad

Russian Politics & Diplomacy November 16, 2023, 15:42

The Czech Republic became the first country to freeze Russian real estate abroad

MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. The Kremlin considers the Czech Republic's sanctions against Russia’s state-owned real estate in that country "unacceptable," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Commenting on Prague's inclusion of the Federal State Unitary "Enterprise for Property Management Abroad" (Goszagransobstvennost) in the sanctions list, he said that as a result of this decision by Prague, which clearly violates international law, all Russian properties in the Czech Republic, except for properties with diplomatic status, were at peril.

"Now the situation is being analyzed in order to somehow minimize the risks. This deeply anti-Russian position from the Czech authorities is an absolute head-scratcher. We categorically reject such a position, we do not accept it. We are now analyzing the situation," the spokesman pointed out.

The Federal State Unitary "Enterprise for Property Management Abroad," part of the Russian Presidential Property Management Directorate, manages many Russian-owned real estate properties in the Czech Republic. Inclusion in the national sanctions list means freezing all properties managed by the company in the country.

The Czech Republic became the first country to freeze Russian real estate abroad. In the Czech Republic, these properties are located mainly in Prague and Karlovy Vary (western part of the Czech Republic). The state properties can no longer be used for any business purposes, in particular, to receive rent from tenants. They must pay their rent into a specially created bank account to which Russia will not have access. This measure applies to dozens of apartments rented out by the sanctioned company. At the same time, the decision of the Czech authorities does not apply to the premises of the Russian embassy, which are used for diplomatic activities.

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