A court in the Netherlands refused to evict squatters from the home of Yandex founder Arkady Volozh in Amsterdam. Reported by NRC and NL Times.
Thus, the squatters won the case brought against them at the suit of the Russian oligarch. Volozh claimed that the building had been undergoing major repairs since 2020. His lawyers said the oligarch purchased the house for personal use and intended to stay there "to enjoy the beautiful city of Amsterdam."
The court ruled that the renovation of the building could lead to Volozh's "significant increase in value and, as a result, capital growth", which is prohibited by the sanctions. The court also considers implausible the version that the founder of Yandex is going to visit the Netherlands, as he is under EU sanctions. According to the squatters, Volozh was going to rent out the house. The Court agreed with this assertion.
Volozh's house was captured on October 31. The squatters said they were "against the war, against the greed of the oligarchs and billionaires, and against the capitalist parasites." They hung banners from the balcony of the house with inscriptions in English – "Against war and capitalism", as well as one Russian-language one – "Yandex + FSB = ❤️".
