Cassation Court Again Upholds Sochi Resort Property Seizure

The Fourth Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction has received another complaint from one of the defendants linked to the Wave Resort & Spa aparthotel. The case involves compensation for seized environmental protection lands and a hotel complex in Sochi, the court«s press service reported.

Recall that in 2023, the Adler District Court granted the lawsuit by the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation to return lands in an environmental protection zone to state ownership. The lawsuit was filed against the administration of Sochi and 27 defendants, including both legal entities and individuals. The court found that the buildings on these plots were erected illegally and ordered them returned to the state. In 2024 and 2025, the defendants appealed the decision in appellate and then cassation courts, but were denied.

The Fourth Cassation Court confirmed the legality of the seizure of land and over 100 real estate objects of the hotel complex, including hotel buildings, a restaurant, and sports facilities. Today, one of the defendants again appealed the decisions, arguing that previous judicial instances did not consider all the circumstances of the case and did not evaluate the evidence. The cassation court«s judicial panel rejected his arguments as unfounded and upheld the previously made decisions, thereby confirming the legality of returning the environmental protection lands to state ownership.

Recall that among the defendants in the Prosecutor General«s lawsuit were 30 individuals and legal entities, with another 17 acting as third parties. These include the well-known entrepreneur Ruben Tatulyan, who is currently on the federal wanted list, his sister, former deputy of the Sochi City Assembly Angela Selyukova, and other entrepreneurs, as well as the administration of Sochi, companies »Breeze«, »Landlord«, »Moscow Beach«, »Restinvest«, »Specialized Developer «Five Stars»«, »Phaeton Sochi«, »Wave Resort & Spa«, Bank »VTB«, »Absolut Bank«, Sovcombank, Sberbank, and others.

Recall that on April 1, 2025, the Adler District Court of Sochi granted the lawsuit by the Prosecutor General«s Office of the Russian Federation for the transfer to state income of property belonging to Sochi businessman Ruben Tatulyan (known in criminal circles as Robson) and his family. These are the Plaza trade and office centers in the center of Adler. The real estate was valued at 3.8 billion rubles (approximately $38 million at current rates). The properties are located on Democratic, Staronasypnaya, and Kirov streets.

We previously reported that the developer of the Wave Resort & Spa complex in Sochi (the former Vesna sanatorium) settled the dispute with the state by reaching an agreement approved by the court. It is noted that the reached agreements preserve the rights of equity holders and allow for the completion of the construction. Building permits were extended. Construction is proceeding according to schedule and all current permitting documents.