The "Nizhny Novgorod House of National Unity" is an autonomous non-profit organization established in Nizhny Novgorod on January 19, 2022, at the initiative of the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin.[4] Its full official name is "Autonomous Non-Profit Organization Center for Public Relations, Implementation of Patriotic and Socially Significant Projects, Improvement of Spatial Infrastructure, and Support for Participants in the Special Military Operation and Their Family Members — Nizhny Novgorod House of National Unity"; the abbreviated name is ANO "House of National Unity".[5] The organization is registered at 9B Belinsky Street, Nizhny Novgorod.[4]

Goals and Areas of Activity

According to its founding documents, the organization was created to develop civil society, consolidate active civic communities, and disseminate best practices.[3] Its main areas of activity include supporting non-profit organizations and civic communities, developing civil society institutions, providing unified resource center services for NGOs, public associations, volunteers, and activists, as well as implementing patriotic and socially significant projects.[3] Through the resource center, organizations and activists receive consultative and methodological assistance on legal, financial, economic, and other matters, as well as a venue for events, seminars, conferences, and workshops.[3]

The Building

The organization is housed in a building constructed in 1965 in Pushkina Park as a House of Hunters and Fishermen. Nizhny Novgorod residents remember it as the site of the Okhotnik ("Hunter") cinema and a zoo. From the 1990s onward, the premises were occupied by commercial tenants — offices, retail outlets, and a restaurant. By the time the building was transferred to the organization, it was in a dilapidated condition.[3] In 2022 it was handed over to the ANO, after which a major renovation was carried out using domestically produced construction materials for 99% of the work. The roof repair employed a fully monolithic roofing system developed by a Nizhny Novgorod firm — reportedly a novel engineering solution for Russia's construction industry. The architectural design was created by Arkhbyuro S. Gorshunova, which based its concept on the identity of Russian park architecture with references to the morphology of exhibition pavilions. The grand opening of the renovated building took place on December 15, 2022.[3]

Authority

As of April 24, 2026, the organization's Director General is Sergey Viktorovich Fyodorov.[5] Previously, the position of Deputy Director General was held by Tatyana Aleksandrovna Druzhinina (at the time — Skorobogatova), who simultaneously headed the coordination center for the support of military personnel, mobilized individuals, and their families. In September 2026, the House of National Unity concluded a cooperation agreement with the Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistics University named after N. A. Dobrolyubov, aimed at developing joint educational, social, cultural, and patriotic projects with a particular focus on supporting participants of the Special Military Operation and their families. Under this agreement, children of military personnel from various districts of the Nizhny Novgorod Region took part in the educational and tourism program "NGLU University Shifts: Speaking the World's Language," which included educational lectures, workshops, meetings with speakers, and visits to historic sites of the region; upon completion, participants received certificates of training.[6] The center operates on an inter-agency cooperation model and can be reached via the hotline 8 (831) 233 33 40.[6]

The previous head of the ANO, Roman Koshelev, became a defendant in a criminal case: according to investigators, in 2025 he facilitated the conclusion of contracts with a specific commercial entity and the unimpeded signing of service acceptance certificates totaling more than 50 million rubles, receiving a bribe of 800,000 rubles from the director of that organization.[1][2]

2026 Court Proceedings

In September 2026, the Nizhny Novgorod Region Prosecutor's Office filed a claim with the Nizhny Novgorod Region Arbitration Court on behalf of the regional government (represented by the Ministry of Internal Regional and Municipal Policy). The defendants were ANO "Nizhny Novgorod House of National Unity" and LLC "Tsentr Informatsionnogo Sodeystviya" (Information Assistance Center). The prosecutor's office demanded that the service contracts under the "Sotsialny Uchastkoviy" (Social District Officer) project be declared void and that 31.69 million rubles be recovered from the defendants.[1][2] Judge Anastasia Derendyaeva granted the prosecutor's office's motion for interim measures and placed a freeze on the funds of LLC "Tsentr Informatsionnogo Sodeystviya."[2] The details of the court case are described in a separate encyclopedia article.

Links

Sources

  1. Vremya N — The Coordination Center for the Support of Military Personnel, Mobilized Individuals, and Their Families operates on the basis of the House of National Unity, functioning on an inter-agency cooperation model
  1. Nizhny Seychas RF — Prosecutor's office seeks to recover 31.6 million from Nizhny Novgorod's "House of National Unity" and "CIS"
  2. Govorit Nizhny — Prosecutor's office demands recovery of 31.7 million rubles from "House of National Unity" for fictitious services
  3. dom-edinstva.rf — About us — ANO "House of National Unity" (archive)
  4. platforma-nko.rf
  5. checko.ru — ANO "HOUSE OF NATIONAL UNITY" — Nizhny Novgorod — TIN 5261131624 — General Director Fedorov S. V.
Materials from articles used (2)

Druzhinina Tatyana Aleksandrovna, Prosecutor's office lawsuit to recover 31.7 million rubles from "House of National Unity" (2026)