By John Q. Hosedrinker 
A Moscow court has ordered the Ukrainian embassy in Russia, which has been closed since February 2022, to pay over RUB 5.5 million (approximately US$71,000) in outstanding electricity bills. The ruling, which includes debt, penalties, and state duty, comes from a claim by the Moscow United Electric Grid Company. This legal action follows the termination of land lease agreements for both the Russian embassy in Kyiv and the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow.
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It’s quite the headline, isn’t it? The Ukrainian embassy in Moscow, now an empty shell, has been hit with a rather hefty fine for a US$71,000 electricity bill. You can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the sheer irony of it all, can you? Here we have an embassy that’s essentially been abandoned, a place where no one is actively using the power, and yet, they’ve managed to accumulate such a substantial debt. It almost begs the question: did they leave the lights on when they departed, leaving a ghostly glow in their wake? The thought of an unoccupied building racking up a bill of that size is, frankly, a little amusing, even if it is a serious financial matter.
This situation brings to mind a whole host of other, much larger figures that seem to have been overshadowed by this electricity tab. While US$71,000 is certainly not pocket change, it pales in comparison to the staggering amounts of damage and destruction that have occurred. It’s hard not to draw a parallel to the hundreds of billions in damages that Russia, by many accounts, owes Ukraine. When you consider the broader context, this electricity bill starts to feel like a very minor footnote in a much more devastating story. The focus on such a relatively small sum, for an empty building no less, when the stakes are so astronomically high elsewhere, feels a bit like a circus act.
One can’t help but wonder about the practicalities of this fine. How exactly is this US$71,000 supposed to be collected? Russia has effectively taken over the property, so one might assume they have some leverage. However, the idea of Ukraine, in its current circumstances, readily paying this sum feels… unlikely. Perhaps it’s intended to be deducted from future reparations, a notion that itself is fraught with complexities. The very idea of equating a utility bill for an empty building with the colossal financial claims arising from invasion and conflict is almost absurd. It feels like trying to balance a ledger with vastly disproportionate entries.
Then there’s the parallel with the situation at the *Russian* embassy in Kyiv. It’s a fascinating flip of the coin. Reports suggest that the empty Russian embassy in Kyiv owes a considerably larger sum in overdue bills – a staggering US$757,000 for electricity, plus hundreds of thousands more for water, catering, and even parking. The comparison immediately shifts the perspective. It highlights the reciprocal nature of these sorts of disputes, even if the magnitudes differ wildly. It makes you think about what kind of operations were going on in that Kyiv embassy to accrue such an enormous tab, especially as it’s also understood to be largely vacated.
The thought of all these unpaid bills, both in Moscow and Kyiv, does lead to some rather creative, if not entirely serious, suggestions. Could they pay in lead weights, for instance? Or perhaps the fine could simply be subtracted from the vast sums Russia is believed to owe Ukraine. The concept of “reparations payments” being used to settle a US$71,000 electricity bill for an empty building in Moscow is, to say the least, a novel approach. It’s the kind of proposition that makes you smile wryly and ponder the sheer absurdity of the entire geopolitical situation.
And what about the intent behind leaving the utilities on, or not, in these abandoned diplomatic properties? The idea of leaving the water running to prevent pipes from freezing is, in a strange way, a practical consideration. It’s about avoiding greater potential damage, even if it racks up a significant bill. It’s a long-term view versus a short-term cost, and in the context of a nation under siege, a US$71,000 electricity bill for an empty embassy might be seen as a relatively minor consequence compared to the potential for catastrophic plumbing failures. However, leaving it running on *hot*? That’s a different story, a recipe for condemning the entire place.
Ultimately, this US$71,000 electricity fine for the empty Ukrainian embassy in Moscow is more than just a news item about overdue bills. It’s a reflection of a deeply complex and often bizarre geopolitical reality. It’s a story that, when viewed through the lens of the larger conflict and the immense suffering involved, takes on an almost darkly comedic tone. The fine itself might be a valid administrative action in the eyes of the authorities levying it, but its significance is dwarfed by the much larger, more tragic narratives playing out on the global stage. It’s a stark reminder that even in the midst of profound conflict, the mundane realities of utility bills can, in their own peculiar way, continue to exist.