Finland Starts Russian Property Confiscation

At the request of Ukraine.

The National Enforcement Authority of Finland has seized the land of the Russian Science and Culture Center (RCSC) in Helsinki at the request of a Ukrainian energy company, Helsingin Sanomat reports. This is about the claim of Naftogaz. The land with an area of 3.3 hectares has been confiscated. The decision came into force on October 24.

The claim of Naftogaz concerns the recovery of $5 billion from Russia for damages and lost property in Crimea. It was filed last summer, since Moscow did not comply with the decision of the International Arbitration Court in The Hague to pay compensation to the company in the amount of the market value of the assets before their expropriation. On the peninsula, Naftogaz owned Chornomornaftogaz with an annual production rate of about 1.6 billion cubic meters of gas and other assets. The republic's "parliament" nationalized this property on March 17, 2014.

Naftogaz noted that the seized Russian state property in Finland is valued at “tens of millions of dollars,” and this is the first publicly known successful seizure of assets outside of Ukraine in compliance with the Hague arbitration ruling on claims for the expropriation of property in Crimea.

“Since Russia refuses to voluntarily pay Naftogaz the funds provided for by the Hague decision, we continue to use all available mechanisms to recover them. Today, we are one step closer to restoring justice,” said Oleksiy Chernyshov, Chairman of the Company’s Board. Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Hague arbitration in this matter, the Russian Ministry of Justice noted in 2019.

Finnish authorities seized the building and site of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in April last year, but then lifted the seizure due to the lack of grounds for seizing this property. The Soviet Center for Science and Culture in Helsinki was opened in 1977. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia began to manage its property. The main task of the Russian Centre of Science and Culture is to assist in the implementation of joint cultural, educational, humanitarian and scientific projects.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com