Vladimir Putin’s regime owns luxury properties across London together worth tens of millions of pounds, a Telegraph investigation reveals.
The portfolio of houses and flats owned by the Russian Federation can be found in some of the capital’s most upmarket postcodes.
Earlier this month, the government removed the diplomatic status of “several Russian properties” suspected of being used as spy bases, but declined to say which ones they were.
They are known to include the luxury 50-room Seacox Heath manor in Hawkhurst, Sussex, which is used as a weekend retreat by Russian embassy staff, and the embassy’s trade and defence section in Highgate, north London.
Stripping the Russian-owned buildings of their diplomatic status means they no longer have legal immunity from the jurisdiction of Britain and could therefore be entered by law enforcement authorities.
The Telegraph has identified a total of 10 additional properties in London owned by the Russian Federation, based on HM Land Registry records.
The revelation of Putin’s property empire in the heart of the capital comes as demand has soared for Russian assets to be seized and sold off to support Ukraine’s war effort.
Several of the properties appeared to include a caution in their title deeds that means they could not be sold without Ukraine’s consent.
Upon visiting the properties this week, many of them were left in a shabby condition, despite their upmarket surroundings, with neighbours reporting that several had been vacant for years. Those that were occupied appeared to have Russian speakers living in them.