The Foreign Ministry spokesman Łukasz Jasina said that the ministry welcomes taking over the Russian housing complex in Warsaw. Today, bailiffs with the assistance of police entered the complex unofficially called “Spy City” and repossessed on behalf of the State Treasury.

“The Foreign Ministry supports all domestic institutions in their actions aimed at settling the real estate’s status and levelling the stark disparity in the Polish-Russian real estate relationship, in accordance with the Polish and international law,” Jasina said in the statement.

The housing complex has been scheduled to be taken over by Warsaw’s local council shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The real estate, which has been illegally owned by the Russian Federation, is planned to be turned into apartments for refugees.

At the press conference in front of the housing complex, Warsaw’s mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said that the “Spy City” was repossessed and would be granted to “our Ukrainian friends”. He added that the buildings’ condition has to be evaluated.

“I am happy that Warsaw helps our Ukrainian friends in such a symbolic way,” Trzaskowski said.

There are about 100 apartments in the housing complex which was used by the Russian embassy in the communist era. The buildings were abandoned many years ago but the embassy never returned them to the city despite several attempts by the Foreign Ministry and City Council to repossess them.