Cologne wants to expropriate Waldimir Putin’s “Russia-haunted houses”: can it succeed?

Three “Russian ghost houses” block the living space in a prime location in Cologne. The people of Cologne have had enough and want to petition for expropriation. What lies behind the walls of the buildings is a mystery.

“Russia-haunted houses” the Cologne media call them. Three abandoned houses in prime location owned by the Russian Federation blocking housing and land. The owner’s role is questionable. At the end of October, an action group wants to petition the mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, to expropriate the houses and make them available to Ukrainian refugees. In Cologne, city committees are already dealing with the case, which is becoming particularly explosive against the backdrop of the Russian war of aggression.