Residents of Prokhladny called the garbage collection situation critical.
Residents of the city of Prokhladny in Kabardino-Balkaria stated that municipal services are essentially failing to fulfill their responsibilities, and appeals to authorities are ineffective.
As reported by Kavkazsky Uzel, a new regional waste removal operator, "Ekotekhprom," has been operating in Kabardino-Balkaria since May 15th of this year. It replaces the previous company, "Ekologistika," whose activities were criticized by local residents. However, residents of the region who had previously reported problems with waste removal noted that the situation has not yet significantly improved since the regional operator Ecotechprom began operating. .
Residents of Kabardino-Balkaria have repeatedly complained about problems with waste removal in various cities and villages across the republic. In August 2025, more than 7,400 people signed a petition demanding the termination of Ecologistika LLC's role as the regional waste removal operator, the selection of a "new, reliable operator capable of ensuring timely and high-quality waste removal" through a competitive process, and the creation of an independent body to monitor the waste removal operator's performance.
The new regional waste management operator in Kabardino-Balkaria is failing to fulfill its responsibilities, residents of Prokhladny confirmed. Residents posted photos on social media showing the massive piles of waste.
The complaint from Prokhladny residents was published on Instagram* by chp.nalchik, a public group with over 508,000 followers. By 8:30 PM Moscow time, the post had garnered 747 likes and 130 comments.
People fear that unsanitary conditions could trigger an outbreak of infectious diseases. According to them, waste has been accumulating for at least three months. They are demanding not only that the piles of garbage be removed and the area cleaned up, but also that the waste removal fees be recalculated.
Residents claim that local administration officials are responding to their complaints with formal replies, without addressing the underlying issue. A similar situation is observed in other towns and villages in the republic, including the republic's capital, Nalchik. Residents also recalled that Kabardino-Balkaria authorities had previously reported purchasing skip trucks for the removal of solid municipal waste.
"The entire republic is drowning in garbage" - social media users
"My outrage knows no bounds! It's impossible to walk around the city; there's a terrible stench from decomposing garbage, rats everywhere, and complete unsanitary conditions! When will all this stop, and who will be held accountable for this chaos? For months, the same question has been asked, and the authorities still can't answer it!!!" - indignantly wrote user p_tanya80.
"Why don't the people dump this garbage on the doors of those responsible? Why can't this country cope with even simple tasks while taking our fathers, brothers, and sons to war and using their lives? For what purpose? I'm doing this "I'm writing everywhere. Everyone is silent. These are all rhetorical questions, of course. More for reflection," asks vremya_rassveta.
"We should all get together and go to the deputies for a solution," suggested anzhela53172. "It looks like they just renamed Ecologistics to Ecotechprom. You don't even know whether to laugh or cry," remarked sedam7431.
"This is chaos. Where are the management and administration looking? Coming soon across the city "there will be rats walking around," complained karinagrigoryan15. "What's going on with our republic lately? It's complete chaos on all fronts," insan1234512345 is perplexed.
"Does anyone have a contract with the previous organization? And will there be one with the new one? Why? Do we even pay? They don't take it out, so don't pay. If they file a lawsuit en masse, file a counterclaim en masse, claiming there's no contract, which is probably why they're not doing their job. And if there is one, then it's not being followed, and they're unilaterally violating that contract, and you have the right not to pay; at worst, they're obligated to recalculate. They're just used to not fighting and agreeing to everything. And the government apparently hasn't seen enough of the specialized equipment; it's waiting for a steady heat wave to develop some kind of disease, and then they'll start taking away livestock, for example. It's high time to send photos to Malakhov's program; there's not a single brave reporter to show it on TV," ok.sunsh.03 explained the situation.
"They haven't taken out garbage in Prokhladny for three months. Soon we'll have to change the name of the city to Musorny," reported zvaqinaa.
"Prokhladny is mired in garbage, with piles of trash, potholes, and holes everywhere you look. What's going on? My hometown has turned into a dump. Once green and flourishing, it's now simply rotting. Authorities, pay attention, this is already an emergency!" urged milao5563.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in September 2025, the prosecutor's office filed a complaint with the official waste management operator in Kabardino-Balkaria regarding unauthorized dumps in the village of Islamey. The problem is also common in other settlements in the republic, social media users stated.