A Stavropol Krai court upheld the law on the euthanasia of stray animals.

A class action lawsuit was filed by local activists and volunteers who consider the regulation a cruel and excessive measure against stray dogs and cats. The lawsuit was heard in early March 2026, and the decision can be appealed within a month, Kommersant reported.

The law, which has been in effect in Stavropol since November 26, 2024, regulates the treatment of stray animals and permits euthanasia only in strictly limited cases. Regional authorities and the prosecutor's office explained to the court that euthanasia is permitted if an animal is terminally ill and suffering, suffers from a serious illness, exhibits aggression toward people, or in the event of an officially declared emergency situation. Such a situation has never been declared in the region, so only the first two grounds are currently used.

Animal rights activists and volunteers claim that the criteria at the PVS are applied too broadly and opaquely, noting that they euthanize not only seriously ill and aggressive animals but also calm dogs that have not previously exhibited threatening behavior. Activists cited complaints of animal cruelty at individual shelters, including the mass destruction of dog carcasses without proper records.

Animal rights activists insisted that animals are burned alive in a furnace at temporary holding facilities in Georgievsk, which is officially designed for the disposal of biowaste. Representatives of the defendants responded that the furnace at the temporary holding facility is not a crematorium for dogs, but rather serves to dispose of biowaste. Animal rights activists said they do not believe this, according to BFM.ru.

The court, relying on the position of the authorities and the prosecutor's office, stated that the law does not permit arbitrary euthanasia and does not eliminate the obligation to trap, sterilize, vaccinate, and return non-aggressive animals to their habitats, as stipulated by federal law. The court found no violations of the law or the constitutional rights of citizens and therefore dismissed the claim. Volunteers said they would prepare an appeal.

Meanwhile, animal rights activists sent a petition to the Federation Council asking it to review the bill for compliance. Their main argument is that federal law explicitly prohibits killing animals for cost reasons or due to overcrowding in shelters and temporary holding facilities. Furthermore, in regions where the emergency situation has been declared, the measure has become permanent rather than temporary, according to Bloknot-Stavropol.

As lawyer and animal rights activist Oksana Zhiteneva told the publication, the regime allows for the capture of all dogs and their detention in temporary holding facilities for only five days. If the owner fails to come forward within this time (or abandons the pet), the animal is euthanized. The problem is that five days is woefully short. The owner may be on a business trip, away, or simply unaware that the dog was caught in a trap.

The lawyer added: there is a risk that the new procedure violates property owners' rights. By law, a stray animal can only be recognized as municipal property after six months. If the dog is euthanized earlier, the owner can sue and seek compensation from the city or the contractor. Therefore, trying to save money on animal care could result in additional budget expenditures.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that Oksana Zhiteneva, head of the Stavropol animal rights organization, accused Denis Dzhalaganiya, a Kuban public animal welfare inspector, of slander, insults, and discrediting the army, asking the FSB to open a criminal case against him.