A court has ordered the demolition of an eight-story residential building in Makhachkala.
An eight-story residential building erected on Azizov Street in Makhachkala has been declared illegal and is scheduled for demolition. Some Telegram users sympathized with the building's residents, while others blamed the buyers of apartments in illegal buildings for problems with the city's infrastructure.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in November 2023, a video of preparations for the demolition of an apartment building in the DOSAAF (Novy Gorod) district of Makhachkala circulated on social media. Residents of the nine-story building, declared illegal, attempted to protect it from demolition. Telegram users called for help for the building's residents, and lawyer Arsen Magomedov asked the authorities to halt the demolition and resolve the issue legally. Dagestan Head Sergei Melikov then stated that "the desperate protest against the demolition was inspired by the developer's manipulations."
Makhachkala officials reported on new progress in their efforts to identify and remove illegally constructed structures. The apartment building at 66 Azizov Street must be demolished by court order.
The Leninsky District Court of Makhachkala heard the administration's lawsuit to have the eight-story building declared illegal.
"The court found that serious violations of urban planning and land regulations were committed during construction. Therefore, it is impossible to recognize the structure as legal. The court declared the building illegal and ordered its demolition," the mayor's office's Telegram channel reported on March 4.
Buyers of apartments in this building will not be able to get their money back. “Every time we publish news about the demolition of apartment buildings, we feel pain for the people who invested their hard-earned money and waited years for their apartments, only to be left with nothing,” the Telegram channel “Only Facts. Dagestan” noted, publishing a report about the building on Azizov Street.
Back in February 2018, former Dagestan head Vladimir Vasiliev, in response to criticism of Makhachkala's urban architecture, announced that all illegally constructed buildings would be demolished. In November 2018, specialists from the Ministry of Construction were dispatched to Dagestan to combat illegal construction. In early 2023, social media users stated that the problem had not been resolved and that illegal buildings were still being actively erected in Makhachkala. The problem with illegal buildings in the city remains pressing due to low wages and high apartment prices, as well as a housing shortage, noted the discussion participants.
Some commenters on the city administration channel also expressed sympathy for the owners of apartments that will be demolished.
“And the people who invested in the construction, I feel so sorry for them,” wrote, in particular, Patya Gamzatova. “The people who invested, they sponsored this squalor in the city. Personally, I can't feel sorry for them. It's just a terrible building,” countered a Telegram user with a dot-shaped nickname.
“I sincerely sympathize with the residents,” noted Patimat Saidova. “People already live there. Don't you fear God?” asked 111.
“I don't feel sorry for those who buy apartments there. Where there's demand, there's supply. The Dagestanis themselves are funding this monstrosity. Why are you buying apartments in these birdhouses? They're ruining the entire city, straining the city's utilities, and creating a transport collapse. It would be better if they tore it all down, and then Makhachkala would breathe again. The city can't handle it; electricity, water, gas, and sewerage aren't designed for so many apartments. If they tear it all down, the city's problems will be significantly reduced,” declared Said.
“It's not the customers who should be responsible for ensuring infrastructure and so on. When you buy bread at the store, you don't send it to a lab for testing; there are responsible people. And as for birdhouses, well, they're building them everywhere these days,” user Ahiles3005 argued.
"Caucasian Knot" also wrote that the Grozny mayor's office reported in June 2025 on the demolition of illegal structures by court order. The authorities should have monitored for non-compliance with the project during the construction phase, and attempts could have been made to legalize the structures, commentators on social media pointed out. The construction of buildings without official permission remains widespread in the North Caucasus, but in practice, buildings don't appear without the knowledge of officials, the lawyer pointed out.