Russia invasion of Ukraine: Scottish Government told to reveal which Russian oligarchs own land in Scotland

The land owned by Russian oligarchs in Scotland needs to be revealed, Humza Yousaf has been urged, as the two-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine is marked on Saturday

The Scottish Government is being told to reveal which Russian oligarchs own land in Scotland as the world marks two years since the invasion of Ukraine.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the SNP-Green Government needed to be more transparent about land ownership in Scotland, and do more to help Ukrainian refugees stuck in temporary accommodation. An estimated one in ten Ukrainians in Scotland are still in temporary accommodation.

Mr Cole-Hamilton is also demanding the UK government widens its sanctions against the “Navalny list”.

Russia's president Vladimir Putin, accompanied by defence minister Sergei Shoigu, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall in Moscow. Picture: Sergei Savostyanov/AFP via Getty Images

He said: “This weekend my thoughts will be with those Ukrainians bravely fighting for their country and its future. It’s easy to forget, but in February 2022 [former first minister] Alex Salmond was still broadcasting on [Vladimir] Putin’s propaganda channel and the overwhelming consensus was the Russian troops would be in Kyiv by the end of the week.

“Instead, the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine still flies proudly. Two years on, there should be no let-up in British resolve.

“It is not an act of charity to supply Ukraine with the tools it needs to defeat Putin, but one of self-interest. If the Russian dictator is not defeated on the battlefield in Ukraine, we will eventually have to face him again elsewhere.”

Mr Cole-Hamilton said the UK Government should be working with its European allies to increase military support to Ukraine and immediately freeze the assets of all of Putin’s “enablers”. “For the Scottish Government, there is work to be done too,” he said.

“One in ten Ukrainians remain in temporary accommodation and concerns remain that our land registry allows oligarchs to slip under the radar. My time as a host for Ukrainians fleeing Putin has left a lasting mark. Both of our governments should be doing more to support the people of Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand, which is calling for an immediate end to all investment in Russian oil and gas companies, is also marking the second anniversary of the war by urging the G7 to impose full sanctions on Russian energy exports.

The G7 will meet to discuss Russian sanctions following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Svitlana Romako, director of Razom We Stand, said: “The G7 and its leaders in the US and the EU must not only acknowledge the support they have provided to Ukraine, but also confront the stark reality that they have funnelled $600 billion [£473bn] to Russia since the onset of the war through the purchase of Russian fossil fuels.”

First Minister Humza Yousaf is to mark today’s anniversary by attending the Ukrainian memorial service at Edinburgh Castle.

He said: "Scotland remains steadfast in support of the country and its brave citizens. Ukrainians are fighting for freedom, the rule of law, and the right of countries across Europe to co-exist in peace and security.

"As we mourn the sacrifices of the Ukrainian people, we also look ahead positively, hoping for a day soon when Ukraine can live in peace as a free, sovereign, European nation."