«We'll Have to Buy Thermal Underwear Again»

The Buratino kindergarten in Mogoytuy, Zabaykalsky Krai, has not been repaired after six months, residents told Chita.Ru. The dilapidated building with poor heating remains in its previous state, and parents are worried that children will freeze there again.

In January 2026, the temperature in the kindergarten groups dropped to 5–11 degrees Celsius (41–52°F). At that time, Deputy Chairman — head of the administration of the Agin-Buryat Okrug, Ananda Dondokov, admitted that the building was dilapidated and needed a major overhaul.

«We spoke with the district head, Bolot Namzhilov, to at least replace windows this summer to create a thermal envelope. And the Mogoytuy district, as far as possible, will carry out the necessary work during the summer using its own budget,» Dondokov said then.

The kindergarten was closed from January to April due to critically low temperatures. Children were distributed to other facilities, creating inconvenience for families without cars.

«When the kindergarten finally opened in April, we hoped that the authorities had at least done minimal work. But unfortunately, the building remained in the same condition: old wooden windows with gaps, floors squeak, drafts between the boards, drafts from the walls, virtually no insulation,» wrote the parents of the kindergarten students.

The situation had not changed by mid-July. According to parents, no repair work was carried out. The kindergarten teachers tried to save the building on their own: they filled the zavalinka (an earthen mound around the building«s base) with sand to seal gaps between the foundation and walls and to reduce heat loss.

Parents are convinced that the sand in the zavalinka is not a solution but an illusion. According to them, the foundation is literally crumbling on the outside — brick is disintegrating, cracks are visible around the perimeter of the building; the ground near the walls is sinking, and moisture is freely penetrating under the floor. The zavalinka, even filled with sand, will not help if the foundation itself is collapsing and the walls are not insulated from the outside.

Locals believe that the building needs a full overhaul with replacement of the foundation, external insulation, new windows, and flooring. They worry that by the kindergarten«s opening on 22 August, no work will be completed, and they will again have to buy thermal underwear for their children and «pray that they don»t get sick».

The teachers turn on heaters to somehow escape the cold. However, this is unsafe due to the old aluminum wiring in the building, which cannot handle even moderate loads and could catch fire at any moment. If you turn on a slightly more powerful heater than usual, the circuit breakers trip.

The acting head of the Mogoytuy district, Bolot Namzhilov, told a Chita.Ru correspondent that the electrical system must be repaired before the kindergarten opens. He also noted that the kindergarten staff insulated the interior space under the floor. Namzhilov believes it is too early to say that the sand in the zavalinka will not affect the temperature in the building. That will be seen in winter.

The acting head said that they had written an appeal to the government regarding window replacement. However, the government replied that they could not provide any additional funds, so it is unclear when new windows can be installed.

When asked why no work was done during the three months the kindergarten was closed, he replied that repairs are usually more convenient to carry out in the summer.

Namzhilov said that transferring children to other kindergartens is not planned because it is indeed an inconvenient solution for many families.