Tuapse residents were outraged by the response to the complaint to the president about the increase in court fees.

The large low-income family of Tatyana Pimenova and Sergey Kartashov from Tuapse, living in an emergency house without heating, received a response to their appeal to the President of the Russian Federation, in which they complained about the multiple increase in court fees, making it difficult to defend their rights to the housing promised by officials. The presidential administration redirected the application to the Ministry of Finance, which is against the law, the lawyer pointed out. Retired Cossack Vladimir Galka from Sochi and pensioner Alexander Batalin, who are defending their property rights, also faced difficulties due to the sharp rise in court fees.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 25, the large mother from Tuapse, Tatyana Pimenova, complained to the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova, about the failure to provide the promised apartment for her family. On August 21, the authorities informed Pimenova that a benefactor was ready to purchase an apartment for them in Tuapse worth 15 million rubles, and the registration of the purchase and subsequent transfer of the housing was scheduled for August 24. On the appointed day, the documents were not provided to the family. In the Tuapse department of the Investigative Committee, Pimenova was told that the issue was unresolved, but the administration hoped to resolve it within a week. The General Prosecutor's Office redirected Pimenova's complaint to the Prosecutor's Office of the Krasnodar Territory, which challenges the actions and decisions of the regional prosecutor's office itself. Sending a complaint to the authority whose actions are being challenged is prohibited by law, the lawyer pointed out.

The Pimenova and Kartashov family received a standard response from the Kremlin after complaining about the inability to pay court fees.

The Pimenova and Kartashov family received an official response from the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation for working with citizens' appeals and organizations dated October 20, 2026, No. A26-08-77180671.

"Your appeal addressed to the President of the Russian Federation was received on 19.10.2026 in the form of an electronic document and registered on 19.10.2026 under No. 771806. To ensure you receive a response regarding the substance of the questions you raised, your appeal has been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation," the document signed by the department consultant Leontyev states.

The reason for the appeal to the head of state was that the family no longer has the financial ability to defend their rights in court due to the sharp increase in state fees and delays by local authorities.

Paying the fee for the claim means leaving the children without bread.

Tatyana Pimenova spoke about the critical situation of the family on the eve of the cold weather.

"Winter is approaching, and our half-destroyed house is simply impossible to heat; the huge cracks in the walls let in so much cold that it blows away any warmth. The children are constantly sick. Officials promised us an apartment, offered options, but the transfer act and contract have not been signed under various formal pretexts. We wanted to go to court again, but when we learned the new amounts of state fees, we were simply stunned. We survive on my husband's meager pension and child benefits. Paying the fee for the claim means leaving the children without bread," she told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

We did not write about finances as such, but about the fact that an ordinary low-income citizen in Russia is deprived of the very right to judicial protection due to unbearable fees. And in response, we receive a bureaucratic reply!

Tatyana's husband Sergey Kartashov expressed extreme disappointment with the response from the presidential administration.

"The text of our statement was extremely clear: we did not write about finances as such, but about the fact that an ordinary low-income citizen in Russia is deprived of the very right to judicial protection due to unbearable fees. And in response, we receive a bureaucratic reply! We appealed to the president for understanding and for a solution to a problem that is currently relevant for all low-income families in the country, not just for our letter to be simply passed around the offices," he said.

In their appeal to the President of the Russian Federation, the couple asked for intervention in the situation with the delay in providing housing and to reconsider the barriers preventing low-income citizens from accessing justice.

"We ask you to intervene in the situation with the endless delays by the administration in not providing our large family with legal housing and to restore access to justice for poor people who cannot afford to pay thousands of rubles in state fees to protect their basic rights."

Lawyer: the appeal was redirected in violation of procedure

The situation with the redirection of the application was commented on by lawyer Elena Pavlova.

"The actions of the official from the presidential administration, who redirected the application to the Ministry of Finance, contain signs of violation of Federal Law No. 59-FZ 'On the Procedure for Considering Appeals from Citizens of the Russian Federation.' According to part 3 of article 8 of Federal Law No. 59, the appeal is sent to the state body whose competence includes resolving the issues raised. The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation is engaged in developing state policy in the field of budgets, taxes, and finance. The Ministry of Finance does not have the authority to provide housing to large families, does not assess the legality of the actions of municipal administrations, and cannot change or cancel the established federal law amounts of state fees for any application," the lawyer emphasized.

The presidential administration should have either requested the necessary materials from the administration of Tuapse and supervisory authorities within the framework of presidential control over the observance of the rights of large families or sent the appeal to the prosecutor's office for an investigation into the delays in housing and violations of the rights of minors or brought the issue to the State Duma for discussion regarding the removal of unbearable state fees from the poor, so that not only the rich but also the poor have access to justice, Pavlova pointed out.

The inaccessibility of justice has become a widespread problem.

Other residents of the region are also facing similar difficulties in trying to defend their rights in court. As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Sochi Cossack Vladimir Galka, who is trying to reclaim his land plot, has spent huge sums on legal battles with the city hall.

With a pension of 15,000 rubles, he paid 10,000 rubles for filing the initial claim, 5,000 rubles for the appeal and cassation. Considering expenses for legal services and trips to hearings, the total bill exceeded 150,000 rubles.

"The courts did not resolve anything, and I fell into huge debts. It has become unaffordable for ordinary people to defend their rights," Galka notes.

Another pensioner from Sochi, Alexander Batalin, defending his land plot from encroachment by a private individual, also stated the unbearable nature of court expenses. According to him, the courts are actually not siding with those whose rights have been violated but are defending the interests of wealthier and stronger parties.