Tatyana Pimenova filed a complaint with the ombudsman after the deadline for the housing deal was missed.
The promised registration of an apartment for a large family from Tuapse did not take place. Tatyana Pimenova sent an official appeal to the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova, asking her to take personal control of the situation.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 21, the authorities informed the family of Sergey Kartashov and Tatyana Pimenova from Tuapse that a benefactor was ready to purchase an apartment for them worth 15 million rubles. The registration of the purchase and subsequent donation of the housing was scheduled for August 24. Children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova called the family and inquired about the timelines of the deal.
In November 2024, a large family from the Tuapse district complained about the conditions of living in a small emergency house and the long-standing absence of suitable housing. In 2023, the court ordered the administration to provide the family with housing equivalent in area to the occupied house. In January 2025, the authorities demanded relocation to a two-room apartment with an area of 49.7 square meters, which the parents considered unsuitable for the family's needs. In December 2025, an investigator initiated a case of abuse of power against the former head of the Tuapse district, who in 2021 canceled the decree recognizing the house as emergency. In January 2026, the family agreed to sign a shared participation agreement in the construction of a house in Krasnodar, and while waiting, received a two-room apartment in Tuapse. The enforcement proceedings for providing housing were completed, and the criminal case against the former head of the district was closed.
Pimenova complained about the missed deadlines for the housing deal
On August 24, Tatyana Pimenova arrived at the investigative department in Tuapse of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Krasnodar Territory, hoping to receive documents for the promised housing. According to her, in the office of the head of the department, she was informed that the issue had not been resolved by the promised deadline, but the administration hoped to settle it "within the current week," Pimenova told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."
Not waiting for the new deadline, she sent an official appeal through the "Gosuslugi" portal to the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova. In the appeal (a copy is available to "Caucasian Knot"), Pimenova asked Lvova-Belova to take personal control of the situation and to stop the substitution of state guarantees with a private deal with the benefactor.
"I am not familiar with this scheme <...> If the deal is formalized as a gift from an individual, I will lose my status as a low-income family and the right to a single allowance and benefits. According to Articles 7 ("Social State") and 40 ("Right to Housing") of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Presidential Decree No. 63 ("On Measures of Social Support for Large Families"), providing housing for large families is a direct obligation of the state," she indicated in her appeal.
Pimenova also claims in her appeal that the previously offered apartment on Armavirskaya Street has black mold. According to the applicant, the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has four times instructed to complete the investigation and send the criminal case to court, but these instructions have not been executed.
In addition, Tatyana Pimenova informed Lvova-Belova that she challenged the court decisions refusing to compel social protection authorities to provide her daughter with specialized nutrition.
On August 5, Sergey Kartashov and Tatyana Pimenova filed a cassation complaint against the court decisions that refused to compel social protection authorities to provide their daughter with the required specialized nutrition. They also filed a complaint with the Attorney General.
Pimenova reported that after she sent the appeal to the ombudsman, a notary, whom the administration had tasked with overseeing the deal, called her. "The purchase agreement has been agreed upon by both sides," Pimenova quoted him. The notary did not specify a specific date for reviewing the document.
Sergey Kartashov noted that the apartment, regarding the purchase of which the notary informed, continued to be offered on the real estate service CIAN for 15 million rubles as of August 25.
"It is difficult to understand how political issues are resolved very quickly and smoothly by officials, with coordination of all structures, while when it comes to social issues and children's rights, everything drags on for years," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."
A lawyer assessed the prospects of the deal and the appeal to the ombudsman
The continued listing of the apartment for sale after the promised date of the deal may indicate that the legal procedure has not yet been completed, noted lawyer Elena Pavlova.
"The presence of the object on the realtor portal may mean that a preliminary agreement with a deposit has not been concluded between the owner and the buyer – the administration or the benefactor – or the deal has not progressed to the stage of state registration in Rosreestr. Until an entry is made in the Unified State Register of Real Estate or an agreement on the deposit is signed, the seller or real estate agency has the right to continue searching for buyers. This may indicate that the legal procedure for the purchase and sale is still far from completion," the lawyer told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."
Pavlova linked the significant difference in the timelines for resolving political and social issues to the peculiarities of decision-making and budgetary procedures.
"Political decisions are made within the framework of the administrative vertical and 'manual management,' where the directive of higher management plays a key role. Social issues, especially housing provision, are strictly tied to the budget process, funding limits, the procedures of Federal Law No. 44-FZ ('On the Contract System in the Sphere of Procurement of Goods, Works, and Services for State and Municipal Needs'), the procedures for managing municipal property, and strict reporting. In this case, the administration is likely trying to bypass complex budget procedures by attracting external funds from the benefactor, which creates legal chaos and prolongs the process," the lawyer explained.
The Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia cannot independently provide a family with an apartment or overturn a court decision, but she has the right to demand verification of the circumstances outlined in the appeal, Elena Pavlova noted.
"According to Federal Law No. 501-FZ ('On Commissioners for Children's Rights in the Russian Federation'), the ombudsman does not have law enforcement or judicial powers: she cannot directly issue an apartment or overturn a court decision. However, the ombudsman has the right to request materials and explanations from government authorities and the Investigative Committee, to appeal to the Attorney General of Russia with a request to check compliance with children's rights, to send recommendations to local government bodies, and to petition the governor of the region or the leadership of the Investigative Committee for the restoration of violated rights," Pavlova explained.
In the lawyer's opinion, the intervention of the federal ombudsman may increase pressure on municipal and investigative authorities.
"The intervention of the federal ombudsman in the housing issue of a specific family elevates the local conflict with the Tuapse administration to the federal level, which creates significant administrative pressure on the municipality and investigative authorities and can shift the situation from a standstill towards resolving the housing problem of the large family," Pavlova believes.
The lawyer considers such problems to be a consequence of the social system's dependence on administrative intervention. "Unfortunately, this practice is widespread, and the social system in Russia is based not on law and human rights, but on administrative resources. Until some high-ranking official takes an interest in the actions or inactions of lower-ranking officials for personal reasons, there will be stagnation in social matters," the lawyer concluded.