Freezing of a 33 square meter apartment and basement in Montenegro after the imposition of sanctions against Russia.

Montenegrin authorities misled European officials last year when they said they had frozen the assets of 34 Russian citizens on a European Union sanctions list. Former Interior Minister Filip Adzic said last June that authorities, following European policy, had frozen real estate owned by sanctioned Russian nationals. "The Cadastre Office has issued decisions restricting the disposal of property in Montenegro for 44 properties. This applies to 34 Russian citizens who have been sanctioned," the RTCG portal quotes Adzic as saying. The information also appeared in the European Commission's annual report on Montenegro four months later. However, the reality is that only one Russian's property has been frozen, as confirmed by Radio Free Europe's (RSE) Cadastre and State Property Office. No comments were received from the EU delegation in Podgorica for RSE in connection with the controversial publication. Ines Mrdovic from Action for Social Rights considered the responsibility for this mistake lies with Montenegrin institutions. "It is wrong to present the EU with one type of information that does not correspond to the real situation on the ground," Mrdovic emphasized.

Russian aggression in Ukraine began in February 2022 and the Montenegrin government joined the EU sanctions, which include freezing assets for Russian citizens and listed companies, in April after several postponements. First they prohibited disposal, then they checked identity. The Cadastre Administration explained for RSE what happened after receiving the list of Russians hit by EU sanctions. RSE was told that the lists contained first and last names and only for some was the date of birth given. According to them, the only criteria for the search was first and last name. "Decisions were made on a specific number of individuals with matching first and last names, to prohibit the disposal of the property because of the risk of alienation and encumbrance," the Office said.

Bashirov is the only one whose property has been frozen. The Department did not provide the name of the person whose property was frozen, but judging by the documents, it is Marat Bashirov, former prime minister of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Lugansk. Pro-Russian separatists in several regions, including Luhansk, rejected the Ukrainian government in 2014 and proclaimed independent "people's republics" not recognized by the international community. The decision to impose sanctions states that he is responsible for the actions of the separatist "government" of the so-called "People's Republic of Lugansk". He has a small apartment of 33 square meters in the village of Becici in Budva. In addition, he owns a non-residential premises of 128 square meters in common with several other persons.

A large number of Russian citizens live in Montenegro. They own about 19k. real estate. Property of Russians in Montenegro Russian citizens have real estate in 13 cities of Montenegro, 98% of which is located on the coast. Among those who own real estate are oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Moscow's chief prosecutor Denis Popov, who was appointed by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.