Russia's President Vladimir Putin has initiated a search for property that once belonged to its former empire or was previously owned by the Soviet Union. Putin ordered officials to locate these Russian assets. 

According to Bloomberg, a directive from Putin published on Thursday also allocated funding for a state unit that will conduct searches for such property abroad and make sure Russia's ownership rights are registered.

Why Vladimir Putin Is On the Hunt for Russia's Property?

Bloomberg reported that the document did not mention the budget size for the operation or what kinds of property are being sought. 

Although it is unclear what prompted the directive, the order seemed to reflect the interest of Vladimir Putin in former imperial possessions, which raises concerns about his ambitions among neighboring states following Russia's invasion of Ukraine that altered the European security landscape.

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The Territories of Russia's Empire

During its peak, Bloomberg reported that the Russian Empire extended into territories of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. 

The empire was reportedly dissolved under World War I's pressure, and the 1917 Bolshevik revolution led by Vladimir Lenin marked the birth of the Communist state - the Soviet Union in 1922. The Soviet Union covered much of the empire's former territory but did not include Poland and Finland. 

The Soviet Union existed until it collapsed in 1991 as constituent republics in the Baltics, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus, and Central Asia became independent.

Putin has already threatened Latvia over the alleged "oppression of the Russian-speaking population" and has also issued threats against Finland over its NATO membership, claiming that Russia would deploy troops to the Finnish border.

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