Russia Seizes Citizens' Assets, Including Homes, to Fund Ukraine War

Russian authorities have significantly escalated the confiscation of private property, including citizens' sole residences, as a means to alleviate the immense fiscal pressures of the war in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the number of court rulings involving asset seizures has nearly tripled between 2023 and 2025. This expansion was facilitated by a ruling from Russia's Constitutional Court late last year, which authorized the seizure of a person's only home, even if it was legally purchased. The confiscations are reportedly part of a nationwide campaign that has led to the seizure of assets worth approximately 100 billion rubles (over $1.1 billion). While officially framed as a measure for 'accountability and state ownership,' the targets often include those prosecuted under laws criminalizing the spread of 'fake news' about the Russian army and acts against state security. This has raised concerns that the policy is being used to silence dissent while replenishing state coffers. A report by the Financial Times identifies billionaire brothers Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, childhood friends of President Vladimir Putin, as key architects and beneficiaries of the asset seizure system. This suggests the policy not only serves wartime financing but also benefits powerful elites close to the Kremlin, indicating that 'Putin’s system is eating itself from the inside.'