The activist held a picket against amendments regarding the euthanasia of dogs in Krasnodar.

Resident of Goryachy Klyuch Valentina Shostak held a solo picket near the administration building of Kuban against changes to the governor's decree on the treatment of stray animals. According to the activist, the amendments will allow the euthanasia of dogs deemed aggressive 10 days after capture.

Valentina Shostak conducted her action this morning for one and a half hours. She demanded the cancellation of amendments to the governor's decrees No. 324 and No. 325, which regulate the treatment of stray animals. The documents were developed in accordance with the law of Krasnodar Krai dated October 14, 2026, No. 5581-KZ.

On the poster that the activist held, it was written: "NO to changes in decrees 324, 325 of the governor of the region, legalizing the killing of dogs and cruel treatment." The innovations will effectively legalize the mass euthanasia of dogs under the guise of combating aggression, Shostak stated to "Kavkazsky Uzel" after the picket.

"The most terrible thing is that it is stated there: dogs deemed aggressive will be killed 10 days after capture. The decision on aggression will be made by the shelter, after which the animals will be moved to a temporary holding facility (THF) and killed. Any dog caught in the trap can be deemed aggressive, as it is under stress and naturally resists," she said.

The picketer reported an attempted provocation

During the picket, several administration employees approached Shostak – they asked about the reasons for the action and suggested resolving the issue with a statement to the governor. Shostak replied that she would definitely send an appeal, but now she wanted to draw public attention to the problem, as almost no one knows about the upcoming amendments.

One of the officials photographed the activist and, in her impression, uploaded the photo to a facial recognition mobile application, after which he named her full name.

"He photographed me in the face. Then, clicking something on his phone, where he apparently inserted my photo, he said to me: 'Valentina Ivanovna Shostak, let's go with us, and you will write a statement.' He did not ask me to introduce myself, just showed that he already knew my name using some program. I understood that they wanted to remove me from the square as quickly as possible so that no one would see," Shostak shared.

After her refusal to roll up the poster and go into the administration building, a woman approached the picket site, whose actions the activist regarded as provocative. She filmed the picketer on video and claimed that animal defenders should write letters in offices, not stand in pickets.

"I did not respond to her, only asked her not to provoke and not to talk to me, as I am standing in a solo picket. Her initiative ended up with nothing because I did not react to the claims and was not against filming," Shostak added.

According to the activist, many passersby expressed their support during the picket: people admitted that they knew nothing about the upcoming document, thanked her for the information, and spoke about the need to protect animals.

Repeated capture and 'humane euthanasia'

Shostak provided the correspondent with the draft decree of the governor of Krasnodar Krai, prepared by the regional veterinary department. She read out the most important changes, in her opinion, in two basic documents: the governor's decree of June 8, 2020, No. 324 "On the approval of the procedure for the activities related to the treatment of ownerless animals on the territory of Krasnodar Krai" and the decree of June 8, 2020, No. 325 "On the approval of the procedure for organizing the activities of animal shelters and the standards for keeping animals in them on the territory of Krasnodar Krai."

According to the text of the draft and the explanatory note, the changes will allow the repeated capture of sterilized animals, including those with non-removable tags. This applies to places of mass human presence, territories where local government bodies have prohibited the return of animals, as well as the boundaries of heating networks and container sites. Such animals will be returned to shelters and released in "other places."

Animals that arrive at the shelter undergo examination and inspection within one calendar day. Dogs with "signs of unmotivated aggression" or with documented cases of attacks will be transferred to temporary holding points for a 10-day quarantine. After that, they will be euthanized "by humane methods." As noted in the explanatory note, the new rules are introduced "to prevent harm to the life and health or property of citizens."

Separate requirements are introduced for temporary holding points: a solid fence at least two meters high with a foundation, a crematorium on a specially designated site, separate enclosures, and feed storage.

The concept of guardianship over ownerless animals is also introduced. Individuals and legal entities will be able to conclude a contract with the shelter for the placement and maintenance of an animal, receive a guardian certificate, visit the pet, and reimburse the shelter for its maintenance costs.

Animal rights activists called the amendments unscientific and reminded about federal law

The proposed amendments are unscientific, believes the public inspector of Krasnodar Krai for the treatment of animals Ariana Khatskevich. Even she learned about them by chance. "Euthanizing stray animals is fighting the consequences, not the cause of their appearance," Khatskevich told "Kavkazsky Uzel."

"Remove all animals, and in a month it will be the same. Why? Because irresponsible owners constantly throw away their dogs and unwanted offspring. We need to start with working with owners: mandatory registration, sterilization if the animal does not have breed value, and preventing free-range. Only then will we reduce the number of stray dogs. But this is a huge educational effort. Who wants to engage in this? Right, no one. It’s easier to issue a decree for euthanasia and spend the allocated millions," she emphasized.

The regional amendments contradict federal legislation, pointed out the representative of the regional branch of the "Alliance of Animal Defenders" in Krasnodar Krai Elena Nasedkina, who personally analyzed the document.

"In October, regional law No. 5581 was adopted, changing the entire structure of animal treatment. At the federal level (Federal Law No. 498), it is clearly stated: animals deemed aggressive must be kept in shelters for life until natural death or transfer to new owners. In Krasnodar Krai, this norm has not been implemented for a single day, as municipalities do not want to pay for maintenance. Now, under the guise of building temporary holding points (THF) and 'evacuating' animals outside the city, a mechanism for endless spending of budget funds on meaningless transportation back and forth is being created," Nasedkina noted.

Transporting sterilized dogs outside the city creates new threats, Nasedkina believes.

"Each municipality has approved a list of places where the release of animals is prohibited (essentially, any residential areas). As a result, dogs from Krasnodar are taken to the suburbs in batches, creating artificial packs without a food base. Some die of hunger, some perish at the hands of local residents and hunters, and the strongest individuals form large packs and return to people, creating a real threat. City authorities are simply hiding the problem from sight, creating ideal conditions for new bites," she stated.

The amendments leave the possibility to both save dogs and mass destroy them, animal rights activists believe. "This law and these amendments can be used in different ways. The trick is that they can both save dogs, for example, through the institution of guardianship, and mass euthanize all animals. Everything will depend on the will of specific people [...] the leadership of municipalities, heads, and regional leadership, as this law can be turned this way or that," Nasedkina noted.

Animal rights activists demand to abandon punitive measures, comply with federal legislation, use humane methods of population regulation, and introduce real responsibility for those who abandon pets on the street. The solo picket became one of the first actions against the amendments, but activists have plans for new pickets and petitions.

"Kavkazsky Uzel" currently does not have comments from the administration of Krasnodar Krai and the veterinary department regarding the draft amendments to the decrees concerning stray animals.