How many Russian owned properties are there in Birmingham and beyond?

New figures have revealed that there are 1,127 properties across England and Wales registered to individuals with a correspondence address in Russia.

The war in Ukraine has brought renewed focus on Russian-owned property and other assets in Britain.

The UK government today (10 March) announced it was freezing the assets of seven oligarchs, including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.

It has forced a halt to Abramovich’s attempts to sell the club. He had said proceeds from the sale would be donated to victims of the war.

A further group of Russia-based oligarchs close to Putin have also been placed under sanction.

The Centre for Public Data has obtained the figures on overseas ownership from the Land Registry using Freedom of Information laws.

They show the City of Westminster has the most property owned by Russia-based individuals, at 87.

This is followed by Liverpool, with 72, and Tandridge in Surrey, with 57.

The number of properties across England and Wales owned by individuals in Russia has rocketed in recent years, increasing 13-fold between January 2010 and August 2021.

How many properties in Birmingham are owned by Russia-based individuals?

There are 27 properties in Birmingham owned by people based in Russia, figures show.

This means Birmingham has the 11th most property owned by Russia-based individuals across England and Wales.

In Sandwell, there are 4 properties owned by people based in Russia and none in Solihull.

The figures also show that the number of properties in Birmingham owned by people based in Russia has increased over the years.

As of January 2012, no properties in the city were owned by people based in Russia, but as of January 2014, 11 properties were owned by people in Russia.

That figure rose to 24 in 2016, and to 27 properties as of August 2021.

There is no suggestion that any of these people have links to the Putin regime.

What’s been said about Abramovich?

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.

“The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.

“Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.”

Opposition leader Keir Starmer had been among those pushing for further sanctions, saying: “For too long our country has been a safe-haven for the money that Putin and his fellow bandits stole from the Russian people.”

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.