Activists Illegally Occupy Russian Tycoon's Residence with 'Reversal' Banner Hung

Break-in at Dutch Mansion Owned by Yandex Founder Volozh, the 'Google of Russia'
Dutch Court Rules "No Issue as Owner Is Subject to EU Sanctions"

The Amsterdam mansion of Arkadiy Volozh, founder of Yandex, known as the 'Google of Russia,' was occupied by activists. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The court ruled that there was no problem even though seven people illegally broke into and lived in a chaebol family’s house? Such an absurd incident actually happened. It took place at the Dutch residence of Arkady Volozh, the founder of the search site "Yandex," known as the "Google of Russia."

According to reports from the New York Times (NYT) and others on the 23rd (local time), seven activists illegally occupied Volozh’s Dutch residence at the end of last month. They even hung a large banner on the exterior wall of the house that read "Against War and Capitalism." The identities of these activists remain unknown, but they took advantage of extensive home renovation work that began last month to occupy the place. Since Yandex’s European headquarters is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Volozh established his residence there.

Volozh, who was illegally intruded upon and occupied, immediately took legal action demanding their eviction. Volozh and his family occasionally stayed there, and the home remodeling was in its final stages. However, the Dutch court’s judgment was different. The court ruled that since Volozh was included in the European Union (EU) sanctions due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was no longer the CEO of Yandex, he had no reason to visit Amsterdam. Although home intrusion and occupation are crimes punishable under Dutch law, the court stated, "This is not a ‘typical vacancy’ situation." Volozh’s legal team said they would immediately appeal.

When Volozh was sanctioned in June, the EU stated in a press release that "Yandex promoted state media in its search results and censored or downgraded government-critical content related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine." Volozh claimed the EU’s decision was wrong and quickly resigned from his CEO position to prevent Yandex from being targeted by sanctions. As a sanctioned individual, Volozh cannot enter or transit through EU territory. Additionally, all his personal accounts are frozen, and he cannot profit from real estate rentals.

Volozh’s residence is located in an upscale neighborhood overlooking Vondelpark, the largest park in Amsterdam. It is a five-story house with a lush garden built in 1879. According to the British Guardian, he purchased this house in 2019 for ?3 million (approximately 4.8 billion KRW). Although Russian passports cannot enter the Netherlands, Volozh was able to enter and exit the country by acquiring Maltese citizenship in 2016 through the so-called "golden passport" system, which allows easy citizenship by investment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.