Deputy Attorney General Highlights Problems in Novosibirsk Region
Crime rates in Novosibirsk Oblast have fallen, but the number of particularly serious crimes has increased. Deadlines for building waste disposal sites have been missed, and the condition of utility networks is at best dilapidated. These are the region«s problems that Deputy Attorney General of Russia Sergei Zaitsev highlighted at a prosecutor»s office board meeting. An NGS correspondent attended the meeting and identified three main issues for 2025 that, according to the General Prosecutor«s Office, Novosibirsk Oblast faced.
On January 23, Deputy Attorney General of Russia Sergei Zaitsev participated in a meeting of the Novosibirsk Oblast prosecutor«s office board. Regional Prosecutor Alexander Buchman, Governor Andrey Travnikov, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Andrey Shimkiv, and Chief Federal Inspector for the region Nikolay Buymov reported on their work. During the one-and-a-half-hour meeting, they discussed issues such as housing provision for orphans, compliance with concession agreements, and wage arrears. However, the main topics of discussion were the condition of utility networks, waste disposal, and the increase in serious crimes.
On Housing and Utilities
Deputy Attorney General Sergei Zaitsev first noted the problems of Novosibirsk Oblast with housing and communal services. According to him, more than 42 thousand kilometers of networks are in dilapidated and emergency condition.
«This becomes the main cause of incidents on utility networks, as well as interruptions in the supply of utility resources. At the same time, in the oblast, more than 2.5 thousand housing and utility facilities remain untransferred to concession,» — began Sergei Zaitsev.
Also, in the region, a difficult situation persists with debts of utility complex enterprises to resource-supplying organizations. According to the deputy attorney general, last year the debt increased from 4 to 6 billion rubles (approximately $40 million to $60 million at current rates) — an increase of more than 37%.
«765 incidents, 64 utility accidents, almost 2 million residents were affected, they were restricted in their rights, probably at the most inopportune moment. We draw your attention to the fact that in the region only 1% of resource-supplying organizations have approved investment programs,» — continued Sergei Zaitsev.
Prosecutor of Novosibirsk Oblast Alexander Buchman in his report acknowledged that utility networks in the region are heavily worn out. According to him, in 2025, more than 9 billion rubles (about $90 million) were directed to their repair. Of that, almost 1.5 billion rubles (approximately $15 million) — at the prosecutor«s office»s demand.
«Thanks to the measures taken, in 2025 for the first time all municipal readiness passports are ready. We managed to reduce the number of utility accidents by a third, and during the past holidays and Epiphany frosts we demonstrated the effectiveness of our work,» — replied the regional prosecutor.
The department also prevented the inclusion of unjustified costs of resource-supplying organizations in tariffs amounting to 300 million rubles (about $3 million).
«After the measures taken by prosecutors, debts for capital repair contributions, for utility services and fuel in the total amount of more than 800 million rubles (approximately $8 million) have been repaid» — concluded Alexander Buchman.
On Waste
The next problem of Novosibirsk Oblast, according to the deputy attorney general«s report, — work with solid municipal waste. Sergei Zaitsev noted that in the region only 18% of waste is processed — this is three times less than the national average.
«This is due to a lack of necessary infrastructure for storage and processing of MSW. At the same time, failures in the construction of such facilities have become systematic. Back in 2023, authorities concluded two concession agreements for the construction of waste processing complexes — left-bank and right-bank. However, due to delays, the agreements were terminated at the end of 2025,» — he stated.
Sergei Zaitsev reminded that in Zdvinsky, Suzunsky, and Chanovsky districts, deadlines for building temporary accumulation sites for municipal waste have been missed. Work has been postponed to 2026.
«As a consequence, the number of illegal dumps is growing, and significant resources are spent on their reclamation,» — said the deputy attorney general.
Alexander Buchman responded that the prosecutor«s office is dealing with the issue of eliminating large landfills and unauthorized dumps.
«As a result of prosecutor«s intervention, 125 unauthorized dumps have been eliminated in the region. The largest landfill in the region, »Levoberezhny,« has been excluded from the MSW flow scheme,» — reported the prosecutor.
On Crime
Regarding the crime level, it has decreased in the region, noted Sergei Zaitsev. Immediately, the deputy attorney general stated that at the same time, the number of particularly serious crimes has increased by 77%. There have been more cases of causing grievous bodily harm resulting in the victim«s death through negligence. Moreover, the number of robbery cases, hooliganism, and traffic violations resulting in deaths has increased.
Also, in Novosibirsk Oblast, crimes in the housing and utilities sector have become 41% less detected. A similar trend exists in housing and utilities violations.
«The lowest crime detection rate in the district remains — 44%. This indicates a whole range of assumptions in the activities of internal affairs bodies and insufficient coordination and supervisory measures by prosecutors,» — stated Sergei Zaitsev.
In 2025, the number of children involved in crime in the region increased by 10%. According to Sergei Zaitsev, the proportion of juvenile crimes in Novosibirsk Oblast is the largest among Siberian regions. Separately, the deputy attorney general noted the problem with teenage suicides: attempts have become more frequent, and 18 such cases ended in death.
«All this should be thoroughly analyzed, measures should be taken to activate the work of preventive agencies,» — he pointed out.
Alexander Buchman in his report added that juvenile crime in 2025 increased by 3%. He also acknowledged that problems with crime detection persist in the region. At the same time, the regional prosecutor stated that law enforcement agencies have become more active in seeking compensation for damage caused by crimes. According to Alexander Buchman, previously the General Prosecutor«s Office harshly criticized the region for weak indicators.
The prosecutor drew attention to crime in the Khiloksky microdistrict: according to him, in 2025, more than a hundred administrative cases were initiated against foreign citizens due to violations of migration legislation. Overall, crimes among migrants increased by 7.6% over the year.
«This speaks to the ineffectiveness of preventive work and the insufficiency of measures taken,» — concluded Buchman.
The issue of the condition of utility networks in Novosibirsk is raised regularly. For example, at the end of this week, an entire residential area was left without heating.
