'Grand Prince of All Russia' Valery Kubarev Sues to Get Kremlin Back

(Aug. 18) -- Descendants of Russia's first ruling dynasty have gone to court to reclaim their ancestral lands – specifically, the Kremlin.

On Monday, the Moscow Arbitration Court decided the case will be heard Oct. 18. The plaintiff is the Princes' Foundation for the Advancement of Religious and National Consensus, founded in May 2009 by Valery Kubarev, who traces his lineage to the Rurik dynasty. It was under the reign of Rurik grand princes, Kubarev claims, that the Kremlin was constructed.

According to its website, the foundation seeks "usage rights" to the Kremlin "in perpetuity."

The Kremlin, right, and St. Basil's cathedral

Mikhail Metzel, AP

A descendant of the Rurik dynasty is suing for "usage rights" to the Kremlin, saying his ancestors built the historic complex.

Although the foundation's audacious claim seems to have little chance of succeeding, the suit arises as the Russian government is returning numerous buildings and other property to the Russian Orthodox Church.

In a surprise move, the court not only agreed to hear the case, but also granted the Princes' Foundation's request for official documentation regarding the status of the architectural elements of the Kremlin and of the underlying land.

The defendants are the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture and the Federal Agency for State Property Management (Rosimushchestvo). A lawyer for Rosimushchestvo told the newspaper Rossiiskaia Gazeta that the Kremlin is the property of the Russian state, but admits that at the current time no property rights to the historic complex have been registered.

That is precisely the point, Kubarev maintains.

"The court noted that there is no document that proves that the Kremlin is somebody's property. All we have is a presidential decree that says that the Kremlin is his residence," Kubarev said. "Well, I could write my own decree, too."

A request for comment from Rosimushchestvo did not receive an immediate response.

According to the Princes' Foundation site, Kubarev is confirmed as Grand Prince of All Russia by a patent issued by "the Imperial House of Rurik under the Spanish Crown."

Chronicles record that in the ninth century, tribes in what is now Russia, Belarus and Ukraine "invited" Scandinavian chieftains -- Vikings -- to come and rule them, in a bid to end chaos in their lands. Rurik and his brothers accepted the invitation, or so goes the tale.

But while some contend that Rurik himself may be a legendary figure, the dynasty that claimed descent from him was very real. It held sway, first in Kiev and later in Moscow as well, from the 10th century until the death of Czar Fyodor, son of Ivan the Terrible, in 1598.

The Rurik dynasty ended with the election as czar of Fyodor's brother-in-law, Boris Godunov, the title character of Pushkin's play and Mussorgsky's opera. Godunov's reign ended in a wave of uprisings and invasions remembered in Russia as the Time of Troubles. The anarchy concluded in 1613 with the inception of the Romanov dynasty, which ruled the empire until the Russian Revolution in 1917.

Kubarev, in a video proclamation to the Russian people, explained that all Russians should have access to the Kremlin, that they should be able to pray in its famous churches, and that "it should be brimming with spiritual life."

Sources around Russia report that the Princes' Foundation is also claiming rights to dozens of historical sites across the country, including the medieval citadel of the northwestern Russian city of Pskov.

Unhappy with what it sees as the frivolously comedic coverage of their grand prince by the Russian media in connection with the lawsuit, the Princes' Foundation site warns: "Let us add that the Rurik family is descended from ancient gods whom one would do well not to disturb, otherwise the consequences for the jokesters will be dire."