Russian oligarch says he is appalled by British police as squatters occupy a London property for nearly 20 hours

Protesters hold flags on the balcony of a property connected to Oleg Deripaska, as police stand by. Peter Nicholls/REUTERS. Image Credit.

Russian oligarch says he is 'appalled' by British police as squatters occupy a London property for nearly 20 hours.

A Russian oligarch said he was "appalled at the negligence of Britain's judicial system" after activists smashed into a London house that he claimed belonged to his family.

According to the London Metropolitan Police, the protesters broke into a house in Belgrave Square, a wealthy residential area in central London, around 1 a.m. local time Monday. The police reported that four people who had been stationed on the house's balcony had come down and been detained at 8 p.m. on Monday night.

The mansion was believed to be owned by Oleg Deripaska earlier on Monday, and a 2007 England and Wales High Court filing stated that he "beneficially owns" it. Deripaska is the billionaire head of Rusal, a Russian aluminum corporation, and one of the oligarchs sanctioned by the United Kingdom in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Reuters, Deripaska's spokeswoman, Larisa Belyaeva, claimed the tycoon and his family were "appalled at Boris Johnson's cabinet's negligence of Britain's judicial system in introducing the sanctions and working with the sort of persons who invade private property."

The house was also owned by Deripaska's family rather than him individually, according to the statement.

Activists and police gather outside the home of Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska in Belgrave Square, London. On March 14, 2022. Image Credit.

It's unclear whether her statements were made before or after the protesters were arrested.

On Monday afternoon, Insider visited the scene, where four activists were standing on the building's balcony with a sign that said, "This property has been liberated."

Some cops were on the balcony with the demonstrators, while others used a crane to go up and down to speak with them.

Here’s the moment a JCB with police went up to talk to them pic.twitter.com/16Sj0LfSnQ

— Sinéad Baker (@sineadbaker1) March 14, 2022

The protesters shouted anti-police slogans as well as "free Ukraine" shouts.

According to The Telegraph, one member of the group stated that they plan to "home Ukrainian refugees and refugees from other nations."

"We want Ukrainian refugees to get this land," another remarked, according to The Washington Post. 

Source: Businessinsider