17:04, 2 May 2026

A lawsuit regarding the destruction of burial mounds in Kabardino-Balkaria has reached court.

The Kabardino-Balkarian Prosecutor's Office has demanded that the contractor and the republic's Ministry of Construction ensure the preservation of ancient burial mounds during the construction of the Baksan Group Water Pipeline.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, officials, in violation of the law, failed to organize archaeological work at the burial mounds before the start of construction of the Baksan Group Water Pipeline, and after the destruction of these sites, they did not allocate funds for the declared security and rescue measures, historians stated.

The construction of the Baksan water pipeline has led to the destruction of archaeological sites of regional and federal significance: burial mounds near the village of Islamey, the Baksan and Kyzburun settlements, the Zayukovskaya and Kyzburun burial mound groups from the late Middle Ages, Alanian settlements, and Kabardian burials from the 14th–17th centuries were damaged during the work, according to the author of the blog "Nalchik and Neighbors. The Caucasus in Search of Justice" on "Caucasian Knot" on June 23. "In places where heavy equipment passed, ceramic shards and other artifacts are scattered (...) The examination found the plan to "ensure safety" to be in compliance with legal requirements, however, as it later turned out, construction was started before the examination results were received - without conducting field work, without organizing the presence of an archaeologist," the publication says.

The Nalchik City Court for Civil Cases received a lawsuit from the Kabardino-Balkarian Prosecutor's Office against the State Public Institution "Capital Construction Directorate" and the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Kabardino-Balkaria regarding the destruction of ancient burial mounds during the construction of the Baksan Group Water Pipeline.

The construction organization LLC "ASSO" and the Department for the State Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites were brought in as third parties to consider the lawsuit. KBR.

The hearing of the claim is scheduled for May 19, according to information on the court's website.

The prosecutor's office's claim states that the necessary measures to ensure the preservation of cultural heritage sites: burial mounds, groups, and settlements, were not taken during the project's implementation, and this created a threat of their loss.

The prosecutor's office is asking the court to oblige the defendants to ensure the implementation of measures stipulated in the design documentation for the preservation of these sites, including archaeological work and compliance with special conditions during construction, the department reported.

Nalchik historian and local historian Viktor Kotlyarov, commenting on the situation, expressed hope that in the future, when carrying out similar construction work, the preservation of cultural heritage will be more carefully "Everything that was lost in this case can no longer be restored, but when implementing similar projects in the future, perhaps a more responsible attitude toward ancient monuments will be adopted. After all, we live in a place where history was literally made, and we must preserve this heritage," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/422919