Human rights activists called on Kokov to prevent the eviction of dormitory residents.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center called on the head of the republic, Kazbek Kokov, to influence the leadership of the agrarian university in Nalchik and prevent the eviction of former university employees from their dormitory.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on March 2, it became known that former employees of the Kabardino-Balkarian State Agrarian University (KBSAU), fearing eviction from their official housing in Nalchik, considered the university representatives' response to their complaints to be formal. They proposed creating a commission to jointly assess the legality of each eviction.
On February 21, residents of the KBSAU dormitory complained to the republican and Russian authorities about the eviction demands. They stated that they maintain the building themselves and have carried out major renovations, but received notices to vacate the premises, and meetings with the rector yielded no results. Representatives of the KBSU retorted that the agrarian university's management is not forcing former employees to vacate the dormitory, but is merely clarifying the grounds for their residence there. The information about the gate and wicket being blocked is not true, as there is a checkpoint 100 meters away, the university explained.
The human rights center's appeal to the head of Kabardino-Balkaria Kazbek Kokov was posted on March 10 on the center's website and signed by its director Valery Khatazhukov.
"A collective appeal from residents of Dormitory No. 2 of the Kabardino-Balkarian State Agrarian University (KBSAU) was sent to the Kabardino-Balkarian Regional Center […]. The appeal contains a request for assistance in protecting housing rights," the publication states.
Without your direct intervention, the problem cannot be resolved Resolved
The problem has a long history, the human rights activist noted. "Our center had previously received similar complaints, and each time, the management of the educational institution, which owns the housing, promised to resolve the issue in favor of the residents, many of whom are former university employees and have lived in the dormitory for decades. It must be noted that without your direct intervention, the problem cannot be resolved," the human rights center stated.
Valery Khatazhukov asked Kokov to consider transferring ownership of the housing to the families living in the dormitory. "These families, due to their precarious financial situation, were unable to save up enough money to purchase their own housing during their years of work at the university. […] We urge you to influence the leadership of KBSU," the publication states.
According to the Housing Code, individuals who have no other housing and are registered as needing housing cannot be evicted from official housing without being provided with alternative housing, lawyer Oleg Sergeev told the "Caucasian Knot" in June 2025. Also, according to him, the families of military personnel, security forces, pensioners, the disabled, as well as people who were provided with dormitory housing before March 1, 2005—before the Housing Code came into effect—who are registered as needing housing, cannot be evicted without being provided with alternative housing.
As a reminder, the dormitory is home to 47 families of former employees of the agricultural university who were laid off in 2017 without being offered alternative employment. They were on a waiting list for housing, but that list was eliminated.
Back in June 2025, the university administration notified the former employees, who have lived in the university dormitory since 1987, of their eviction without being provided with alternative housing. Former university employees then stated that, on the orders of the new rector, the gate and access to the university grounds were closed "without any warning," and that during a personal meeting, the rector uttered "insults and threats to prevent us from complaining."
KBGAU Rector Zaurbi Shkhagapsoev then explained to the "Caucasian Knot" that he was forced to evict former employees from the dormitory because the students had nowhere to live. "They [the former employees] have already been living there for 30-40 years without any legal basis. Where am I supposed to house the students?" he said.
On February 22, 2026, the Investigative Committee reported opening a criminal case under the article on abuse of authority. The elimination of the housing waiting list, the blocking of the exit from the dormitory courtyard, and the university administration's ignoring of residents' requests "created unbearable living conditions," the department stated.