On 10 August 2026 in Nizhny Novgorod a criminal case was reopened over the ongoing landslides in the settlement of Novinki, which threaten private homes on the slope along the Oka River. The trigger was an appeal by local residents to the chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, through the account of his reception office on VKontakte.[2]

Background

According to residents and the Investigative Committee, the landslide processes on the slope in Novinki have been observed for more than ten years; the first noticeable ground collapse was recorded in 2014.[3] Regular ground slippage threatens homes located in the landslide zone on Beregovaya Street, as well as at the addresses: 1st Oranzhereynaya Street, houses no. 45, 47 and 49, and Ulitsa Nevzorovykh), house no. 111.[2] In the summer of 2026, residents of one of the houses were urgently evacuated to temporary housing stock (a municipal reserve of dwellings for emergency relocation), and a heightened alert regime was introduced within the boundaries of the plot.[3] The rural council named an abnormally snowy winter and heavy downpours as the causes of the new ground movements.[3]

In 2022 a court ordered the authorized agencies to carry out anti-landslide measures within six months, but by 2026 the ruling had still not been carried out.[2] The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Nizhny Novgorod Region had already opened a criminal case over this matter once before, but it was overturned by a supervisory authority.[4]

Reopening of the case

After the appeal by Novinki residents to Bastrykin, the investigative directorate reopened the investigation — this time with the aim of protecting the rights of citizens who find themselves in a zone of geological hazard.[1] Alexander Bastrykin instructed Alexander Dynkov, acting head of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, to submit a report on the progress of the investigation, its preliminary and final results, and the measures being taken.[3] The Investigative Committee's information centre confirmed that the situation had been placed under the personal control of the agency's chairman.[2]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — New criminal case opened over landslides in Novinki (archive)
  2. GiperNN — Bastrykin takes personal control of new criminal case over landslides in Novinki (archive)
  3. Otkrytyi Nizhny — Situation with landslides near residential homes in Novinki under reinvestigation (archive)
  4. GTRK "Nizhny Novgorod" (Vesti) — Criminal case reopened after appeal by residents of Novinki, who have suffered from landslides for many years (archive)