Putin's friends seized land in Crimea: they will build a parking lot for yachts of Russian wealthy.

The Rotenberg billionaires, who surround the President of Russia, over the past year and a half have taken for themselves 10 plots of land in Balaklava Bay in annexed Crimea that belonged to Ukrainian and local owners. They plan to build a yacht parking lot on these plots. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the construction of a yacht marina back in 2018, and the Rotenberg companies won tenders for the design and construction of the marina.

However, property managers and plot owners in the bay - local residents and businessmen from Ukraine - have become an obstacle to the construction of the marina, which should have 600 places for yachts and hotels for vacationers.

The first stage of property seizure began in 2015 under the pretext of returning military plots that were previously sold by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. However, the owners stood firm and started litigations with the Russian court, although many processes are still ongoing.

After the annexation of Crimea, the authorities, by special law, allowed the seizure of property from persons who "have ties with unfriendly states". This allowed Russian companies to purchase the property of businessmen from Ukraine at economically unjustified prices.

The Rotenbergs also seized the properties of other individuals, including politician and entrepreneur Andriy Senchenko, who had been fighting for his property since 2010. They also acquired a hotel from the Ukrainian businessman Oleksiy Plyas and property from many other individuals.

The process of consolidating real estate in Balaklava Bay by the Rotenbergs is still ongoing.

It is also recalled that military trucks belonging to the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, indicating their involvement with nuclear ammunition, were spotted in Crimea. They were observed on the roads of Kerch and the Kerch Peninsula.