Residents of the Rostov region have declared a hunger strike due to unfinished housing.

Spouses of Rostov Region military personnel who suffered due to the actions of the Citystroy construction company have begun an indefinite hunger strike to draw the attention of federal authorities.

On December 18, two women from 29 affected families participating in the SVO announced the start of the hunger strike. The women say the hunger strike is intended to draw the attention of federal authorities to their problem, as local authorities lack legislative means to address it. The hunger strike will be indefinite until a solution is found.

"We've been on a hunger strike since 3:00 PM on December 18. We have an empty refrigerator. We want the federal government to pay attention to us and take control of us. We want our homes, or at least a refund, or write off our mortgages! These are three options that will really help us," the women from Rostov-on-Don stated, according to the publication "Bloknot Rostov-on-Don."

The victims claim they were left homeless and with large mortgage debts due to the fault of the developer, the Rostov-based company Citystroy. The families, many of whom have many children, applied for mortgages through Sberbank and Alfa-Bank.

"When choosing a developer, we relied on Sberbank. They actively recommended the developer to us, and we were confident that the bank was checking its reliability," one of the victims, Elena Belokopytova, explained to journalists from Regional Aspect.

Her family's house and the land it sits on cost 6 million rubles. Citystroy promised to build a finished home without interior finishing in six months, but instead only poured the foundation.

Many victims were forced to continue construction at their own expense, as the mortgage terms stipulate that if the shell of the house isn't built within two years (a year and a half has passed), the bank will raise the interest rate. Victims say it's possible that instead of the current monthly payments of 35,000 rubles, they'll have to pay 140,000-150,000 rubles.

The wives of SVO participants also recorded a petition to Putin. They're asking for either mortgage forgiveness, a refund, or completion of their homes. "We want a response from the authorities, not promises, but real help," the victims said.

"We, the families who suffered from the unscrupulous developer "Citystroy" in the Rostov region. The situation has developed such that we are left without housing, all our mortgage funds were transferred to contractors provided to us by "Sberbank" and "Alfa-Bank", and as a result, we are all left without housing and without money. Now we are paying very high amounts of mortgage funds, while we "There are no houses, only a 30-year mortgage. We would like to appeal to you and the federal authorities to take control of our situation," the Donetsk women stated in a video message.

Earlier, one of the victims, Elena Belokopytova, said she had taken out a preferential mortgage at six percent interest as the family of a service member and transferred over four million rubles to the developer. An expert assessment showed that the work performed was worth no more than seven hundred thousand rubles, and the fate of the remaining amount remains unknown. Meanwhile, the women continue to pay the mortgage despite the absence of a home, according to the Telegram channel "Rostov-on-Don News."

According to the victims, appeals to regional agencies have yielded no results, and the criminal case has not resulted in the return of funds. Construction is nearing completion, after which monthly payments could rise to one hundred and sixty thousand rubles.

The criminal case against representatives of the CityStroy company, responsible for leaving hundreds of families homeless, is in its final stages and will likely be sent to court by the end of January 2026, 161.ru reported, citing Yulia Odnoralova, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Rostov Region.

"The construction inspection is currently being completed. After that, we will familiarize all interested victims and defendants with the results. Then, as we call it, the indictment will be formulated—how much money was taken, how much was stolen, and what damages were inflicted on each victim," Odnoralova stated.

There are three suspects in the case. One of them is Arutyun Arutyunyan, who directly owned CityStroy. Arutyunyan has been wanted since July. According to Odnoralova, he left the country and is believed to be in Georgia.