Orphans from Kabardino-Balkaria spoke about years-long housing waiting lists.

Court decisions to provide housing to orphans in Kabardino-Balkaria are not being enforced, and the amount of the housing certificate is insufficient to purchase an apartment, according to orphans who have been on the waiting list for over 10 years. One of those on the waiting list obtained a court ruling for compensation for rent, but the republic's Ministry of Education filed an appeal.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in October 2023, Kabardino-Balkaria authorities informed "Caucasian Knot" that more than 1,500 orphans in the republic are waiting for housing they are legally entitled to. When the orphans contact the Ministry of Education, they receive a response that the republic "catastrophically lacks funds" to fulfill its obligations to provide them with housing. In the spring of 2025, the Kabardino-Balkarian government decided that orphans would be able to receive payments for housing purchases or mortgage repayments. The payment amounts were not announced, and social media users pointed out that the government's promises are questionable. Nalchik resident Vladimir Sidorov, born in 1995 and classified as an orphan, filed a lawsuit in February of this year seeking compensation for his rent. The court upheld the claim, but the Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Education appealed the decision to a higher court.

02:18 28.11.2025

The verdict against a developer in Kabardino-Balkaria did not affect the wait time for housing for orphans

The court, which increased the sentence for a developer in a case of fraud involving housing for orphans, did not oblige him to return the stolen advance payment to the budget, while orphans in Kabardino-Balkaria have been waiting for apartments for ten years or more.

As Vladimir Sidorov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, he and his brother, Alexei, are residents of the Nartanovsky Orphanage. He was put on the housing waiting list in 2012, and Alexei in 2014. They still have not received apartments and live in rented apartments. Vladimir has a wife, while Alexei is currently single.

Vladimir Sidorov says that the ministry is currently offering housing certificates to some people on the waiting list. He is employed and has an official income, but he is not satisfied with the payment provided by the certificate.

"I personally was not offered a certificate, and even if they had, I would not have taken it, because for 1,840,000 rubles, the amount provided by the certificate, you can't buy housing even in the Maisky District," says Vladimir Sidorov.

On February 17, 2026, the Nalchik City Court upheld Vladimir Sidorov's claim against the republic's Ministry of Education and Science to declare its failure to provide him with housing illegal, as well as to recover rental housing costs in the amount of 690,000 rubles for the period from October 7, 2022, to December 25, 2025.

The court upheld the claim, but the ministry filed an appeal, which has not yet been considered.

And in In 2021, the Nalchik court ordered the ministry to provide Sidorov with housing "not below the established social norms within the Maysky municipal district of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic" out of turn.

The court made a similar decision in 2020 based on Alexey Sidorov's application.

The court's decisions have not been enforced.

Also on the waiting list is an orphan from Chegem, Akhmer Kashev, 27 years old, who lives in a dormitory.

Akhmer Kashev reported that he is officially employed and therefore can receive a certificate.

"I have already agreed to purchase housing in the village of Chegem, and I will receive the certificate soon," he said.

But Akhmed Kashev's brother, Azamat, is also ready to receive a certificate. However, he is not officially employed and therefore cannot obtain a certificate.

"I am on the waiting list for an apartment under the housing program for orphans. I applied for a certificate, attached certificates and reports, but was denied because I have no official income," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He rents a room in the suburbs of Nalchik and works at a car wash.

Nalchik lawyer Oleg Sergeev commented on the situation. He noted that the federal law "On additional guarantees for social support for orphans and children left without parental care" obliges state bodies to provide housing to orphans upon reaching the age of 18.

"However, the law does not specify the period during which housing must be provided to an orphan. "Therefore, housing can be provided either immediately after reaching the age of 18 or later," Sergeev emphasized.

"As for the question of what to do for an orphan who would like to receive a certificate but has no official income, I advise finding official employment. If this is not possible, I advise going to court and having the court confirm their income. Income certificates can be obtained not only from the employer but also from the Social Fund. This will be a certificate of payments made. It can be obtained in person or online through Gosuslugi. Such a certificate contains information about whether the person received a pension, benefits, or other payments for a certain period," the lawyer said.

As a reminder, in May 2023, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, instructed the leadership of the Investigative Directorate for Kabardino-Balkaria to report on cases of violations of orphans' rights to housing. The agency reported on its investigation into multimillion-ruble embezzlement. It turned out that the Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Education paid a construction company 55 million rubles for apartments for orphans, but the housing was never delivered.

The republic's Ministry of Education stated that it plans to provide orphans with housing by 2030.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that Amina Tkhakakhova, an orphan from Nalchik, who won a court order to be placed on a housing waiting list and received assurances from authorities in January 2024 that it would be delivered soon, still has not received the promised housing. Priority was given to orphans who decided to participate in military operations against Ukraine. Kabardino-Balkaria authorities offered temporary accommodation in an adaptation center to Bronislav Shinkarev, an orphan and disabled person who won a lawsuit demanding housing. Shinkarev was listed as number 1100 in May 2024. In November 2024, Shinkarev received an apartment thanks to the support of Senator Arsen Kanokov, who paid the remaining amount, reported the author of the blog "Nalchik and Neighbors. The Caucasus in Search of Justice" on the "Caucasian Knot."