Authorities have announced the resettlement of residents of a dilapidated building in Rostov-on-Don due to the threat of collapse.

Experts have deemed the condition of an apartment building on Kozlova Street in Rostov-on-Don, which was declared unsafe back in 2020, critical. District officials have initiated the resettlement of residents.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in January it became known that the Rostov Region government had approved a list of 47 apartment buildings scheduled for resettlement in 2026-2027. The list included buildings declared unsafe in 2017-2022. Following resettlement, they are planned to be either demolished or reconstructed. A total of 290 apartments are planned to be resettled, at a cost of 1.15 billion rubles, according to government estimates.

Due to the identified threat of collapse, it has been decided to "immediately" resettle the residents of building No. 61 on Kozlova Street, Beburi Meskhi, head of the Oktyabrsky District Administration of Rostov-on-Don, announced today in his Telegram channel, a publication brought to the attention of Kommersant.

Factors have been identified indicating a critical condition of the load-bearing structures.

During the inspection, the official said he personally informed "all remaining residents" of the danger of their continued residence. "Possible support measures were explained, such as the provision of a temporary housing fund, relocation assistance, and the procedure for buying out the premises," the publication stated.

He noted that the owners' greatest concern is the amount of the buyout price. "To thoroughly address this and other problematic issues for each residential property, I held a meeting with residents at the Oktyabrsky District Administration on February 13th. […] I will personally monitor the situation until all residents are fully relocated and their safety is ensured," Meskhi reported.

As of 2:55 PM Moscow time, no comments have been posted under the post made at 9:02 AM Moscow time, although commenting is enabled on the Telegram channel.

The investigation's approach to Rostov-on-Don's dilapidated housing cases has been repeatedly criticized.

As a reminder, in August 2024, the chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation requested a criminal investigation after residents of the crumbling building at 93 Kazakhskaya Street in Rostov-on-Don complained about the authorities' lack of response to their requests. In May 2025, Rostov authorities declared the building unsafe. In August of that year, residents complained that the situation was worsening, with cracks appearing in the second entrance as well.

A criminal case was opened under the charge of negligence, accusing Galina Pivovarova, former deputy director of the Pervomaisky District Housing and Utilities Department. The defendant and her defense called the investigation's version of events baseless.

Specifically, Galina Pivovarova explained that she resigned from the Housing and Utilities Department in April 2024 and was no longer employed there when residents requested that the building be declared unsafe. According to Pivovarova, she received no complaints from residents of the building during her tenure at the department. Furthermore, the housing and utilities department is responsible for maintaining municipal property, and the building on Kazakhskaya Street has no municipal apartments, so the management company is responsible for maintaining it, she noted.

In January 2024, one of the entrances of a five-story building on Narimanov Street in Rostov-on-Don collapsed. There were no fatalities or injuries, as the residents had managed to evacuate. Viktor Berezhnoy, head of the Voroshilovsky District administration, was charged with negligence in connection with the collapse: according to investigators, he knew the building had been declared unsafe in 2020 but failed to prevent the emergency. The residents themselves do not consider Berezhnoy guilty and emphasize that he was the first official to arrive at the scene and was the one who decided to evacuate the residents.

On April 28, Viktor Berezhnoy was acquitted. The residents of the building agreed with the court's position and demanded that the real culprits be punished. However, the prosecutor's office challenged the verdict, which was subsequently upheld by the appellate court. The prosecutor's office also appealed this decision, and the Fourth Cassation Court overturned Berezhnoy's acquittal and returned the case to the trial court. Meanwhile, the affected residents came to court to support the former district head.

Earlier, Rostov City Duma deputy and lawyer Natalya Oskina considered the prosecution of the district head unfair. He had neither the authority nor the ability to solve the problem, since it was not the district administration, but the city administration that was responsible for recognizing the buildings as unsafe and subject to demolition or reconstruction and the resettlement of residents into temporary housing stock.