Villa of Vladimir Putin's Ex-Wife and Her Partner Seized in France

French authorities have seized a villa located in Biarritz linked to the ex-wife of Russian President Vladimir Putin and her new partner. This was reported by the BBC's Russian service, referencing the French publication Challenges.

According to Challenges, citing sources, French justice has confiscated the villa called "Susan" (also known as Rêverie, meaning "Dream"), associated with Lyudmila Putina, the former wife of the Russian president, and her new companion, Arthur Ocheretny.

The decision to seize the villa in southwestern France was made on December 6. Publications that have been labeled as "foreign agents" and "undesirable organizations" by Russian authorities in recent years have linked the villa to Arthur Ocheretny and Lyudmila, who adopted her new husband's surname, Ocheretnaya, after divorcing Putin in 2013.

The couple has been under sanctions in the United Kingdom since May 2022, although not in the European Union, including France. Prior to the villa’s seizure, Paris prosecutors conducted a search at the property. It is reported that Ocheretny must now prove the villa was acquired through legal means, according to Challenges.