The law on the state of emergency has become a formal cover for the extermination of dogs in Karachay-Cherkessia.
The removal of the bodies of euthanized dogs beyond Karachay-Cherkessia is an attempt to conceal mass killings of animals, animal rights activists believe. The introduction of a state of emergency effectively created a legal mechanism to bypass federal norms in the republic and formally legalized the killing of animals, activists and lawyers pointed out.
Stacked bodies of stray dogs have been found on the outskirts of Cherkessk
Information about the discovery of a cluster of dead dogs on the outskirts of the capital of Karachay-Cherkessia spread on social media and regional Telegram channels.
A resident of Stavropol Maria noticed dead dogs on the outskirts of Cherkessk.
"We were going to relax in nature, but the guy was called for an urgent order at double the rate, and I decided to go with him. When we arrived at the site, I was just choked up: on the ground lay piles of dead, emaciated dogs, among which were very small puppies. In shock, I managed to photograph only one of three such piles; some animals even seemed to have tags. The employer instructed to take these bodies to a holding facility in Georgievsk, Stavropol Krai. The men loading the bags into the truck mentioned the Veterinary Department of the KCR and stated that everything was being done legally," she told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
According to the activist, the transportation route was chosen not by chance and indicates an attempt to cover up the traces of mass extermination.
"The bodies were taken towards Georgievsk, where there is a temporary holding facility, where the dead animals will simply be quietly burned in an oven. Without the bodies, law enforcement traditionally will not record the elements of a crime, and the case will simply be hushed up. Who exactly gave the order for the killings and organized this transportation - the republic's leadership or the veterinary department - remains unanswered. But we understand perfectly well that all these actions are aimed at concealing the traces," Maria believes.
She believes that the order of the KCR Government No. 261-r on the introduction of the "state of emergency" (SEO) serves only as a formal cover.
"The document stated that cases of bites have increased by 20%, but this statistic looks as falsified as in other regions. The SEO gives a formal green light for the capture of absolutely all animals, including sterilized and tagged ones. Directly about extermination, the order does not mention, but indirectly all conditions have been created to maintain the appearance of 'legality' during mass cleansing. Mass killings always occur where the program under 498-FZ has failed, and budget funds have been embezzled," the animal rights activist stated.
Maria added that the regulatory framework of Karachay-Cherkessia was deliberately created with vague formulations to create corruption schemes.
"The criteria in the local law are maximally ambiguous, which gives a huge ground for different interpretations and corruption in the procurement of drugs. The adoption of this law is an attempt to establish a scheme where dogs are brutally killed, and budget funds flow into the right pockets. This is why a large-scale audit is required not only for the fact of cruelty to animals but also for the embezzlement of funds. The price of this corruption scheme is the lives of innocent stray dogs," Maria emphasized.
As Maria recalls, what happened was a heavy emotional shock for her.
"After what I saw near Cherkessk, I cried all day at a friend's house and am still on a course of sedatives. Many citizens have filed complaints with various authorities. I do not know the exact number of submitted statements, but people are reacting en masse, posting confirmations of appeals to the authorities and the responses received in the comments. We need colossal publicity to stop this legal arbitrariness and hold those responsible accountable," the activist summarized.
The situation unfolds against the backdrop of changes in regional legislation. According to the provided documents, in June 2026, the People's Assembly of the KCR adopted Law No. 51-RZ on amendments to the regional law "On Certain Issues of Responsible Animal Care." The document introduced the concepts of "unmotivated aggressiveness," "temporary holding facility" (THF), and "state of emergency." A month later, the chairman of the KCR government, Murat Argunov, signed order No. 261-r on the introduction of a state of emergency in the republic for a period of three months. As a basis, the order cited an increase in cases of harm caused by animals without owners to citizens' health by more than 20% compared to the previous month. The order prescribes to limit or completely cover the capture of all animals without owners, including previously sterilized and those with non-removable tags, to organize the transfer of all captured animals to temporary holding facilities according to concluded contracts, and to assign the execution of the order to the Veterinary Department of the KCR. At the same time, as follows from the website of the Veterinary Department of the KCR, contracts for the capture and handling of stray animals in the republic are concluded with individual entrepreneur Efremov Alexey Alexandrovich.
Animal rights activists are sounding the alarm
Activist and animal rights defender Oksana filed a collective complaint and request for an investigation with the General Prosecutor's Office, the Investigative Committee, and the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation. According to her, an interregional scheme for the illegal extermination of stray animals and the embezzlement of budget funds has formed in Karachay-Cherkessia and Stavropol Krai.
"The key tool of this scheme is the regional law No. 51-RZ of July 2, 2026, which directly contradicts federal legislation (Federal Law No. 498) and the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The law legalized temporary holding facilities (THF), the capture of even previously sterilized and tagged dogs, and also expanded the concept of 'unmotivated aggressiveness' to banal growling. This allows recognizing 'aggressive' and sending up to 95% of dogs for slaughter without conducting a real veterinary examination," she told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot."
At such rates, humane euthanasia using certified drugs is simply impossible - animals are effectively poisoned with cheap muscle relaxants.
She also pointed out economic violations and suspicious details of the state contract for 10 million rubles concluded by the Veterinary Department of the KCR with individual entrepreneur Efremov A.A., whose main type of activity according to the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs is building construction. The auction lasted only 27 minutes, and the prices set do not correspond to market rates.
"At such rates, humane euthanasia using certified drugs is simply impossible - animals are effectively poisoned with cheap muscle relaxants. At the same time, video recording of the capture is not conducted, and the return of animals to their previous habitats according to documents is less than 5%. We demand from the central office of the General Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee to conduct a large-scale investigation into corruption, document forgery, and cruelty to animals, as well as to cancel the regional act that contradicts the law," she stated.
Ekaterina, also a co-author of the appeal sent to the chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Alexey Kudrin, commented in detail to a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot" on the financial and economic side of the conflict.
"The main question for the officials of the KCR is where the 10 million rubles from the republican budget allocated under state contract No. 3 of February 10, 2026, went. We see clear signs of fraud and misappropriation of funds. The contractor is individual entrepreneur Efremov A.A., registered in Stavropol, whose main type of activity according to the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs is 'Building construction.' The competition was held in 27 minutes with the participation of two players. But the most important thing is the prices: for the euthanasia of one dog, the documents set only 90–106 rubles, while the market price is from 1,500 to 3,000. For this money, it is impossible to buy humane drugs - animals are simply slowly euthanized with cheap poisons like muscle relaxants," she told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot."
Ekaterina emphasized that the introduction of the "state of emergency" by order No. 261-r of August 3, 2026, was used as a legal veil. At the same time, the order itself was preferred to be kept secret and not published on the official government portal.
"The contractor systematically violates the technical assignment: video recording of the capture is not conducted, information about the incoming animals is not published, and the euthanasia act occurs without the participation of independent veterinarians and NGOs. The bodies are simply disposed of in furnaces in Stavropol Krai for money. We sent an official request to the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation demanding to check the volume of paid services and transfer materials to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation on articles of fraud and negligence," the activist summarized.
Citizens who filed complaints received a response from the KCR prosecutor's office that their appeals were received, and they would be informed about the progress of their consideration in accordance with the law.
When a dog is caught with a loop, stressed, shoved into a cage, it can naturally growl or get scared - and this is formally already enough to label it as 'aggressive.'
A local human rights defender notes that in practice there is no real and objective procedure for determining 'unmotivated aggressiveness' in the KCR.
"Usually, this concept refers to ordinary behavioral reactions of the animal: growling, baring teeth, or attempts to defend itself. When a dog is caught with a loop, stressed, shoved into a cage, it can naturally growl or get scared - and this is formally already enough to label it as 'aggressive.' The decision is made effectively unilaterally by the contractor or 'on paper' without the participation of independent veterinarians and representatives of public animal rights organizations, although a commission inspection is strictly prescribed in the technical assignment," he told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.
According to statistics from real animal rights programs and veterinary practice, truly unmotivated aggression is exhibited by no more than 3–5% of individuals. Here, however, up to 95% of captured animals are fitted into this category.
The assertion that the overwhelming majority of dogs are recognized as aggressive is true, he notes.
"According to statistics from real animal rights programs and veterinary practice, truly unmotivated aggression is exhibited by no more than 3–5% of individuals. Here, however, up to 95% of captured animals are fitted into this category. This is an elementary pretext to avoid spending budget funds on maintenance, treatment, and sterilization, and to quickly write off the animal.
There is no infrastructure for humane treatment of animals in Karachay-Cherkessia, he states.
"The republic catastrophically lacks municipal shelters and specialized holding places. Sterilization is mainly carried out by private volunteers and animal rights activists. In 2025, residents of the KCR collected signatures for the construction of a full-fledged city shelter, but the signatures did not help. The situation has since become much worse," he noted.
The regional authorities are trying to bypass federal criteria
The amendments to the legislation of Karachay-Cherkessia adopted in July 2026 effectively created a legal mechanism to bypass federal norms, believes lawyer and animal rights activist Oksana Zhitneva.
"Formally, the region is trying to create the appearance of legality, but from a legal point of view, this is a direct violation of the supremacy of federal legislation. The Constitutional Court has clearly defined: euthanasia is an exceptional and personal measure. It is only possible with confirmation of an incurable disease, rabies, or proven unmotivated aggression of a specific individual," she told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot."
What is prescribed in the KCR law is an attempt to substitute federal criteria. When ordinary behavioral reactions like growling during capture are equated with unmotivated aggression, it contradicts the essence of the law.
According to her, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation has directly prohibited euthanizing animals for the purpose of regulating their numbers, due to the lack of space in shelters or solely on the basis of declaring a 'state of emergency.'
"What is prescribed in the KCR law is an attempt to substitute federal criteria. When ordinary behavioral reactions like growling during capture are equated with unmotivated aggression, it contradicts the essence of the law. Any mass shooting or euthanasia without individual examination by an independent commission qualifies as cruelty to animals and is subject to criminal liability," she concluded.