Squatters occupy Russian oligarch's London mansion | DW News

Squatters have occupied a London mansion that is believed to belong to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who was hit by British sanctions last week.

Metropolitan Police said they were called in the early hours of Monday after receiving reports that people had entered the mansion in Belgrave Square, in an upmarket area home to several foreign embassies.

"By occupying this mansion, we want to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but also the people of Russia who never agreed to this madness," read a statement from the squatters, who described themselves as anarchists.

The police tweeted it had "completed a search of the property in Belgrave Square and are satisfied there are no protesters inside." The UK froze the assets of Deripaska last Thursday, one of a number of Russian oligarchs who have been targeted.

Oliver Bullough, author of the new book ‘Butler to the World: how Britain became the servant of tycoons, tax dodgers, kleptocrats and criminals’, gives an in-depth insight into what motivates Putin’s oligarchs and how they are coping with new sanctions from the EU, UK and USA.

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[findus]

They aren't squatting, they're performing "Special Visiting Operations"

[thehonesttruth]

well done to the liberators, who carried a special operation to liberate the oligarch building.

[pakipower]

Why???
Simply because it is a safe heaven for corrupts all over the world.

[blisspop]

What we learn from history is that we don't learn from history! 😢

[KazenoniKakuremi]

She blinks like she's sending a message via Morse code 🤣

[jameslewis]

I love it. Open it as a homeless shelter. Ukrainians welcome. God bless the Ukraine!

[andyb]

I have been trying to blink as much as the interviewer. Failing miserably, so far.

[tucoramirez]

I want to seize a super yacht. Everyone is invited to the mega party when we get the craft.

[marekburniak]

Let me tell you history of mine... 4 years a go I was contractor for decorating project in London... For mega rich russian woman... I'm Polish... On first day of work she wanted to put small GPS on us so she could track where we are all times while working in her 12 bed cottage in Marylebone... Company that I work for belonged to Polish lad, he said to her : this is not Russia and you can take someone else to do this job...

[fandyllic]

It is a bit optimistic to think that oligarchs don’t have enough money off shore and laundered to last several lifetimes in extreme luxury. As long as the world is rife with tax havens and laws geared to favor the wealthy, oligarchs will only be marginally limited in what they can do and where they can spend their money. There are plenty of countries that will still take money with few questions and many people in countries imposing sanctions who will easily ignore those sanctions if they aren’t also enforced on collaborators.

Sanctions have to be 10 times as harsh as we see now to have even minimal effect. These oligarchs can wait it out longer than our greedy politicians can sit on their high horses.

[word]

Strange to not mention NYC and the US in general with regards to storing foreign wealth particularly in real estate

[dnkrus]

Yes! Yes! Britain please punish Russian oligarchs. Russian people are applausing standing.

[bysl]

👍
You guys just liberated that building.

[someguyfromarcticfreezer]

The sad thing is, British police didn't know squatter laws, they arrest those special operation de-nazifying liberators.

[arga]

I never thought I would agree with Squatters but hey this are special times lol

[adam-eovy]

Putin won't stop unless the world stops him 🇬🇧✊

[unimelblenny]

Thank ypu DW for opening up another horizon. I thought only singapore, cayman island and swiss is the haven for criminals and oligarchs. Now it seems that all countries could have them to some extent.

[goughmax]

And the capital outflows from UK begin. I am sure wealths oligarchs of many nations are packing their bags as you speak mate. Cheers

[nowthatsfunny]

She must be sending out morse code with all the blinking she's doing.

[Kostas_Sifakis]

If they are serious about it, all countries should auction everything from the sanctions and give the money to Ukraine.