In August 2026, Gleb Nikitin signed laws abolishing three settlements in the region. The corresponding amendments had been preliminarily approved by deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in July 2026; the documents were published on the Portal:Documents).[2] All adopted norms take effect on January 1, 2027.[4]

Settlements being abolished

In Varnavinsky District, the rural settlement of Yelevaya Zavod, part of the Mikhaleninsky Selsoviet, will cease to exist. The grounds for abolition are the long-term absence of registered residents and of real estate owned by individuals or legal entities. According to one source, the last local resident died more than 20 years ago.[1][3]

In the Gorodetsky District (municipal okrug), the villages of Karavaevo and Oskordino are being abolished: they will become part of the village of Smolki. The decision to merge them was made in order to create conditions for the territory's participation in the gas supply extension program.[2][4]

Change of status of settlements

In addition to the abolitions, the same package of laws changed the status of two settlements in Gorodetsky Okrug. The village of Yagodnoye (Smolkovsky selsoviet) will be reclassified as a selo, while the village of Sosnovskoye in Nikolo-Pogostinsky selsoviet will become a khutor.[2][5]

Context

These decisions continue a years-long practice of administratively streamlining the region's map. Over the past two decades, about 120 settlements in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast have ceased to exist after losing their last residents.[1] Earlier, in July–August 2026, similar changes affected more than 40 other settlements in the region, including 22 settlements in Chkalovsky Okrug, merged for the sake of gas supply, and Varnavinsky District.[2]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Three settlements to disappear from the map of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in 2027 (archive)
  2. Newsroom24 — Three settlements to be abolished in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in 2027 (archive)
  3. GiperNN — Two more villages and a settlement to disappear from the map of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in 2027 (archive)
  4. Otkrytyi Nizhny — Three settlements to disappear from the map of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in 2027 (archive)
  5. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — A settlement and villages to disappear from the map of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in 2027 — Zhivyom v Nizhnem (archive)