KarunaNews Story

In the small town of Rescaldina, Italy, Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion are finding safe haven in unexpected dwellings - homes seized from Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta, one of Italy's most powerful criminal organizations. Currently, the National Agency for the Administration of Assets Confiscated from Organized Crime manages approximately 40,000 properties. Tetiana, who escaped from Bucha with her children, was the first arrival, and Mayor Gilles Andrè Ielo gets emotional when he recalls picking up the family. “The fact that they were not in a reception center with too many people, but rather in a proper house made them feel much calmer,” Ielo says. Using these assets for social good is not just a way to help those in need, but it “sends out a very strong message to organized criminals,” says Agency director Bruno Corda.