Kremlin expands property seizures to replenish Russia's war-strained budget – intelligence

Russian authorities are increasing the use of property confiscation as a form of punishment in an attempt to plug holes in the state budget strained by the war against Ukraine.

That is according to Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, Ukrinform reports.

"In Russia, the number of court rulings in criminal cases involving property confiscation rose from 11,000 to 31,000 between 2023 and 2025," the statement said.

According to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, in 2022, confiscation sentences were handed down to 4,195 individuals, while in 2024, the figure reached 24,078. Compared to 2020, the number has increased by 9.3 times.

At the beginning of this year, Chairman of Russia's Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, also stressed the need to expand the number of cases involving confiscation.

According to him, over the past year, investigators seized property worth approximately 24.5 billion rubles. These figures are 25% higher than in 2024.

Defendants in criminal cases "voluntarily" transferred property, funds, and valuables worth 4.7 billion rubles after criminal proceedings were initiated.

"Confiscation" as a special measure was reintroduced into Russia's Criminal Code in 2006. At that time, it was primarily applied in corruption and economic crimes as a mechanism for compensating damages.

Following the start of the so-called "special military operation," confiscation provisions were expanded to cover new offenses, including cooperation with foreign organizations, sabotage, "fake news" about the Russian army, and crimes against state security.

Late last year, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation authorized the confiscation of even a person's sole residence, including property legally purchased by relatives or third parties connected to a case.

"The determination and zeal of Russia's repressive apparatus to increase the use of property confiscation tied to certain events is explained solely by the Kremlin's attempts to plug holes in the state budget suffering from the war against Ukraine," Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service said.