The mother of a Sochi kindergarten student complained about a formal reply from a regional official.

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The Adler District Prosecutor's Office, where Elena Baranetskaya filed a complaint regarding the inaction of the Kuban Ministry of Education and Science, forwarded it to the agency itself, whose head refused to acknowledge violations in the kindergarten's operations.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," the conflict between parents and the administration of Kindergarten No. 121 in Sochi has been ongoing since the spring of 2025. The parents of the children have repeatedly demanded that a criminal case be opened for child abuse, but law enforcement agencies found no evidence of a crime in the actions of the teacher, who resigned voluntarily. In January, the Sochi administration told parents that psychologists had not identified a "negative emotional-psychological climate in the group," while ignoring the recording of the child abuse incident. In April, a court in Krasnodar found illegal the actions of Kuban Ministry of Education officials who ignored a violation of parents' rights to freedom of speech and opinion at Sochi's Kindergarten No. 121, and ordered regional officials to correct the violations. However, the officials do not admit guilt.

On June 2, Elena Baranetskaya received a response from the Minister of Education of the Krasnodar Krai and Deputy Governor Elena Vorobyeva, in response to an appeal to the Adler District Prosecutor's Office.

She complained to the prosecutor about months of inaction by the regional Ministry of Education and Science regarding violations of the rights of children and their legal representatives at MDOBU "Kindergarten No. 121" in Sochi. The complaint was forwarded directly by the prosecutor's office to the regional administration. The response to Baranetskaya was signed by Elena Vorobyeva, head of the relevant department.

Notably, in this document, the official listed her position as "Deputy Governor of the Krasnodar Krai." Vorobyova had previously been found guilty of inaction by a court and ordered to rectify the violations of the rights of the children's parents.

Vorobyova's response suggests that there are no violations and that an inspection is inappropriate. The official stated that ministry officials conducted an on-site inspection of the kindergarten back in April 2025. At that time, the content of the local regulation regulating communication in chat rooms "did not contradict current education legislation." The official emphasizes that following that inspection, the kindergarten's director, N.E. Lazarenko, was reprimanded and a warning was sent to the institution.

The prosecutor's office found no violations. Given this, it is inappropriate to repeal the local act or re-examine it.

The response further states that on August 11, 2025, the Adler District Prosecutor's Office of Sochi filed a protest demanding that paragraph 3.7 of the local act be brought into compliance with Article 29 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation (which guarantees freedom of thought and speech). Based on this, on August 29, 2025, the kindergarten administration approved a new "Regulation on the Ethics of Communication in Parent Chats." "This local act, with the amendments, was submitted for review to the Adler District Prosecutor's Office of Sochi. The prosecutor's office found no violations. "Given this, repealing the local act or re-examining it is inappropriate," Vorobyeva stated in her response, completely ignoring the fact that the Oktyabrsky District Court of Krasnodar had already ruled this document illegal.

Summing up, the Deputy Governor points out that no illegal actions by officials of the Sochi Ministry and Department of Education have been established, nor have any violations of citizens' rights to appeal been identified. As an alternative, Vorobyeva suggested that parents resolve conflicts through a dispute resolution committee or a feedback form on the kindergarten's website.

The ministry's response outraged Baranetskaya

The response signed by Vorobyeva, given the court's verdict, looks outrageous, according to Elena Baranetskaya.

This is a vicious circle of bureaucratic cynicism

"The higher court clearly established that the ministry, headed by Vorobyeva, illegally inactively covered up censorship and violations at the kindergarten. I am filing a complaint with the prosecutor about this inaction. The prosecutor's office, instead of taking action, is sending my complaint back to Vorobyeva. "And she, hiding behind her status as vice-governor, sends me a paper claiming that everything is in order and that rechecking the local act is 'inappropriate.' It's a vicious circle of bureaucratic cynicism," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Independent Krasnodar lawyer Andrey Melnikov, who commented on the situation for "Caucasian Knot," pointed out obvious signs of wrongdoing on the part of the prosecutor's office and the legal equilibristics in the actions of the ministry's leadership.

By forwarding Baranetskaya's complaint to the regional administration for review by the very agency whose inaction she complained about, the prosecutor's office effectively violated the law.

"In this case, we see a gross violation of Federal Law No. 59-FZ 'On the Procedure for Considering Appeals from Citizens of the Russian Federation.'" Article 8 of this law directly and categorically prohibits sending a complaint for review to the government agency or official whose decision, action (or inaction) is being appealed. By forwarding Baranetskaya's complaint to the regional administration for review by the very agency whose inaction she complained about, the prosecutor's office effectively violated the law," the lawyer explained. Melnikov noted that Minister Vorobyova signed the response as deputy head of the region. "Regarding the juggling of the titles 'minister' and 'deputy governor,' this is a tactic of administrative pressure. Elena Vorobyova indeed holds these positions within the regional executive branch. However, when a citizen appeals the actions of the head of a ministry and receives a response from the same person, but signed by the vice governor, this is a clear attempt to elevate the document in order to morally suppress the complainant. "Sending a formal reply signed by a person whose inaction on a similar matter has right now been deemed illegal by the court is not just ethical nonsense; it is grounds for appeal to a higher prosecutor's office and the Investigative Committee for negligence and failure to comply with a judicial decision," he concluded.

According to the lawyer, Baranetskaya has every legal basis to demand disciplinary action against the prosecutor's office officials who allowed the complaint to be illegally forwarded.