07:00, 13 February 2026

Residents of Sarpinsky Island complained about the dangerous road to the pier.

On February 12, due to difficult ice conditions on the Volga, river transport routes ferrying residents of Sarpinsky Island to the mainland were changed. According to Volgograd residents, previously, when routes were changed, passengers were transported to the auxiliary pier by snowmobile. The Kirovsky District Administration stated that they were unaware of the problem.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in January 2016, residents of the Sarpinsky River Island near Volgograd also lost their permanent crossing. A temporary passenger crossing between the island and Volgograd was organized by the municipal rescue service, but it only operated twice a day, according to island residents.

Residents claim that getting to the auxiliary pier is extremely inconvenient: there is no public transportation from populated areas to the pier, and residents are forced to make the long journey twice a day, according to Volgograd Online.

"I live, like all the locals, on the part of the island near the Rudnev pier. The hamlets of Kozhzavod, Beketovsky Perekat, Rybovod, Krestovy, Peschanoye, and Leshchev are there... There's a school and a medical center there. Ten minutes across the Volga, and you're in town. They're offering us a walk to Golodny Island, to the wastewater treatment plant. There's a ferry for Golodny workers there. Honestly, I don't know how long it takes to walk there. Probably four hours. By public transportation, if there is any, it's an hour and a half," complained a resident of Sarpinsky Island.

Residents claim that in previous years, authorities organized transportation to the pier using snowmobiles. Which, for some reason, are currently unused.

"How are we supposed to get to some pier, to some wastewater treatment plant, 30 kilometers through forests, through snowdrifts? There are no snowmobiles, no road connecting us to this pier. Why has the administration forgotten about us? We are still in the Kirovsky District of Volgograd, and yet we are abandoned. Our public servants have completely forgotten about us; they don't even pick up the phone," residents complained.

People suggested that the authorities come to Sarpinsky sometime and get to the auxiliary pier themselves.

"The esteemed deputies are suggesting walking to the other end of the island! Let them try this quest themselves—off-road, through snowdrifts, through the Shchuchiy Proran creek—and survive! None of them have probably ever been here, but we belong to the city! They receive subsidies, but they don't help in any way," said a resident of Sarpinsky.

The Kirovsky District Administration reported that it hasn't yet received any complaints from residents about the lack of transportation, and officials learned of the problem from the media.

"No one has called yet, no complaints have been received. Now we're aware of this problem, and we'll work with the road services to resolve it," said the deputy head of the Housing and Utilities Department of Volgograd's Kirovsky District.

The official added that passenger transportation by snowmobile was used in previous years only in emergency situations and is not intended for situations like the one currently unfolding on Sarpinsky Island. The administration also stated that, according to the rescue service, the snowmobiles are in good working order; however, they are not intended for passenger transport due to the limited number of seats and are used in emergency response situations, the publication clarified.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that local residents reported difficulties with travel between Volgograd and Sarpinsky Island back in September 2015. At that time, river port representatives stated that the reduction in service was due to funding issues from the regional center and the failure to receive compensation for transporting beneficiaries.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420756