Known locally as the "Russian houses", they sheltered Soviet soldiers and their families in the eastern neighbourhood of Karlshorst, the site of the Nazis' final capitulation, which then housed the Soviet military's headquarters in communist East Germany. Germany has been Ukraine's second-biggest backer, and diplomatic relations between Berlin and Moscow are in the freezer. It approached the Russian embassy in 2020 to see if Moscow was willing to sell them but received no reply. Usik, a Russian speaker, says she has noted a "very aggressive" tone in the Russian press when the houses are discussed. The Russian embassy in Berlin, when asked for its position on the houses by AFP, declined to comment.

Source: The Local February 08, 2026 16:11 UTC