Ufa Mother Fights Deception in Private Housing

Building a home has turned into a nightmare for many families: first they took out loans, then they chased builders who disappeared from the construction site. UFA1.RU has repeatedly reported on those who invested money and ended up without a house. One of them is Ksenia Andreeva from Ufa, who after the incident is fighting not only for her own rights but also for other defrauded buyers, all while trying to cope with an illness. She believes the problems in private housing construction (IZhS) stem from the laxness of banks and authorities, who for a long time failed to take decisive measures. The details are in the article on UFA1.RU.

Why IZhS Became a Risk

It should be noted right away: in 2025, after an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin«s direct line, federal authorities adopted a series of measures to protect the private housing construction sector. In particular, they introduced escrow accounts — where the developer receives money only after the work is completed. Banks also began sending specialists to sites to assess the quality and volume of construction, after which they give the green light for the transfer of tranches to builders.

Before that, things were different: as soon as the developer asked for money, the required sums were transferred immediately, and the developer either vanished or began to drag out the work. This happened with the companies Grand Stroy, whose director was found in the Emirates and extradited to Russia, Elit Dom, and Yaromirdrev. Problems also arose with Urals Group, Elhaus (where the director accumulated debts of 132 million rubles), and many others now facing court proceedings.

And, of course, Vi-Stroy. It was with this company that the heroine of our story got involved three years ago, after which she joined the Union of Defrauded Participants of IZhS.

Ksenia Andreeva from Ufa wanted to build a house in 2023. She signed a contract with the notorious company Vi-Stroy, whose director Igor Vlasov was accused of fraud and placed under house arrest. Now Ksenia has considerable debts — and we will tell you about that later.

For now, she explains why, in her opinion, the IZhS sector turned out to be so problematic. The Ufa resident believes that federal authorities did not fully work out the state program of preferential family mortgage (which had 6% per annum), which is why people across the country fell into this “trap.”

“They took advantage, believed that they could get a country house or make their only home, fulfill their dream. Overpayment with a low interest rate, small payments. Many large families responded to this. But it turned out that the program was underdeveloped, there were many loopholes for fraudsters — and they took advantage of it,” Ksenia believes.

As a result, people were left without the housing they bought, with debts, loans, and mortgages they are forced to pay. According to the Ufa resident, banks may benefit from this situation: they receive money from clients and support from the state at the same time. At the same time, the organizations wash their hands of any subsequent claims.

“They say: ‘We bear no responsibility, you chose the developer, you signed the contract with them, we have nothing to do with it,’” the Ufa resident believes.

As for developers like Vi-Stroy, who left clients with nothing, Ksenia is convinced: they knew what their actions would lead to and planned it from the very beginning, and the scheme was the same. Our interviewee believes that first construction companies earned a positive reputation and reviews — they built houses and delivered them on time in order to later commit fraud.

At the same time, a former Vi-Stroy employee told UFA1.RU that the company simply took on a heap of projects, took a large geography, and made “crooked estimates,” and that is what ruined it. Fraud, he believed, was unlikely.

So is the whole sector currently in a tense situation? Ksenia says no. With the introduction of escrow accounts, everything changed.

“It is not very profitable for developers, so they raise the cost of construction. But at least it is safe, there is a chance the house will be completed. It is much safer now than in the first wave we got into; back then everything was not worked out or thought through,” the Ufa resident notes.

Our interviewee believes that there may be 20,000 families across Russia who are victims of IZhS fraud, from various social groups: disabled children, participants of the Special Military Operation (SMO), pensioners, young families. Ksenia is sure that their problems are of no interest to anyone but themselves.

The Union of Defrauded Participants of IZhS tried to organize rallies in Bashkortostan and Udmurtia. A prominent politician from one of Russia«s major parties was even going to attend the last event, but the assembly could not be approved.

“We were told that we did not specify a bank account. But we are not collecting any money, we do not have an account, why would we need one? Nevertheless, we were refused. They tried in Ufa long ago — also refused,” the fraud victim complained.

The association Ksenia belongs to plans to publish a series of reviews of banks that refused to ease their terms. She says this is so that other people can see their problem.

“We are doing everything so that we get help — at the regional or federal level, it doesn«t matter,” our interviewee noted.

How to Solve the Problem

By 2026, such problems in IZhS no longer exist. At least, no new participants have joined the Union of Defrauded. But those who were in the “first wave” still have difficulties: there are no proper houses, and there is a mass of debt. The problem essentially is not being solved, and we will discuss this further.

The defrauded investors do not understand why this is happening. Well, it would seem, how can all this be solved? It turns out that doing everything properly is quite realistic; there is a precedent.

“In the Republic of Mari El, the authorities are simply great in this regard. They developed assistance: they showed these unfinished buildings to reliable developers, who choose an object, complete it at their own expense, and receive a plot of land from the region for construction. When we found out about this, we just cried that at least somewhere people will get their homes. But not here,” our interviewee explained.

This was also practiced in Bashkortostan: in 2024 in Ufa, the “House of Death” was completed, which had stood abandoned for many years. It was finished by a construction company that in return received land without a tender from the head of the republic.

Why they cannot do the same with IZhS houses is a mystery. Perhaps the authorities simply do not know the scale, considering the problem isolated. Although how can they not know when families recorded a video address.

“They Owe Me 17 Million Alone”

Ksenia«s family is a large one; she has three children and is raising them with her husband, a citizen of Abkhazia. She will later use this fact in appeals to the authorities of Bashkortostan to somehow resolve the situation.

And it all started well: they heard on TV about the family mortgage, about six percent, and figured they could take it too. Ksenia convinced her husband that it was profitable. Especially since the plot already existed — in the Ufa district, it came to Ksenia from her grandmother, and to her from her grandmother, so this place meant a lot to the family. At that time it was worth more than 3 million rubles.

So the Ufa resident took out a preferential mortgage from one of the major banks. She also took out a loan of 1.2 million rubles from another bank.

“A bank manager from where I took the mortgage contacted me. From him I learned that building on our own was prohibited. There were no familiar companies we trusted; there were only those recommended by the bank. We looked — there were 5 organizations, we did not know them, we knew nothing about them. But the bank said this was a guarantee of safety for both us and them. So they fed us a line there too,” says Ksenia.

Then the family was offered to make a deal with Vi-Stroy.

“How they explained it: the company has been on the market for over 7 years, it submits documentation on time after construction, it has no delays, democratic prices, quality construction. We went to their office: everything was top-notch, it occupies several premises, all leather sofas. Coffee for you, tea. Nearby are building materials, you can go up and touch them,” Ksenia recalls that meeting.

After that visit, the family decided they had to go for it. At the bank, they signed a construction contract with the developer to obtain the mortgage, took out insurance, and transferred the first tranche.

Vi-Stroy arrived on the plot, conducted geodesy, began installing piles and the foundation, and then the company suddenly asked for the second tranche, which was the largest — over 3 million rubles. Then Ksenia reminded the developer that he should have had money left from the first tranche, but he said he was purchasing a ready-made wall kit, so the money was needed immediately.

The materials were ordered and delivered, installation began, but problems arose.

“Everything went with flaws, they installed the cheapest everything, it became noticeable. They didn«t even step back from the ground. I ask them about this: our house is made of timber, but snow on the ground is up to 5 centimeters high. They stop answering my messages, the crew leaves, construction stops. I called them, came to the office, they fed me breakfast promises, saying the crew was busy,” the Ufa resident gives her version of events.

She says the developer agreed to fix the defects and sent a specialist to the site. According to Ksenia, Vi-Stroy was just stalling for time and had no intention of continuing work.

Vi-Stroy did not respond to Ksenia«s pre-trial demand. She went to court and won after an expert examination (which she had to pay for herself — 70,000 rubles). Experts concluded that “the entire building is fit for dismantling”: the foundation will not support two floors, the pipes are old, the diameter does not match the project, and there are a number of other violations. Vi-Stroy categorically disagreed and filed an appeal to the Supreme Court — which upheld the decision.

“As of today, they owe me alone 17 million rubles. I received a writ of execution, took it to the bailiffs, it sat there for six months, then the proceedings were closed — recovery is impossible,” says the developer«s victim.

In the FSSP database, Vi-Stroy has nearly 100 lines of debts: from Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, and even Moscow regions. Most proceedings were terminated because bailiffs could not find the debtor or its property.

According to Ksenia, Vi-Stroy director Igor Vlasov and his family have no money, nor do his companies. At the same time, the Federal Tax Service terminated the registration of three of his companies.

“The money was withdrawn long ago. After three years, it is unlikely anything can be returned. We are paying for air, sitting in millions of debts, my children«s childhood was taken away — I am busy with calls, letters, petitions, calls,” says the mother of many children.

As lawyer Roman Petrov, who has experience in such cases, explained to UFA1.RU, during the preliminary investigation law enforcement needs to find out exactly where the developer«s money went.

“Often it is withdrawn to other organizations. In that case, they should additionally charge under the article ‘Legalization of income obtained by criminal means.’ And then confiscate the funds even from third parties formally unrelated to the accused but to whom he transferred them. This is often not used here. Why — because it is painstaking and long work. They put him in prison and that«s it,” Roman Petrov believes.

That is, the investigation«s work, according to the lawyer, comes down to finding and locking up the swindler. This is what unscrupulous developers take advantage of.

No Way Out?

Amid all the stress, Ksenia«s health deteriorated; she was diagnosed with cancer.

“It just flared up, during this time I have undergone two operations, I am on immunotherapy, I go to Moscow for chemotherapy every month, I have had 28 courses of radiation therapy, metastases are spreading. My life hangs by a thread. Apparently, neither I nor my family will ever move into this house, and the children will not be able to inherit it because they will get my debts,” Ksenia says in tears.

She says her family now “just exists”: her husband cannot work fully because he needs to care for the children and for his sick grandmother. Ksenia does not always manage to give attention to the children due to her undermined health and her fight with the developer.

Life, she admits, has collapsed: the family used to live in prosperity, but later they were forced to count every penny and pay off debts to the bank. For two years Ksenia paid 140,000 rubles every month, but then the budget ran out, and because of that the bank filed a lawsuit.

“I came to the bank office, asked them to give me a chance to pay, to lower the interest rate due to disability, to stretch out the payment term, but everywhere refusal. They filed a lawsuit against me. At the hearing I asked for a settlement agreement, to recalculate the debt. I could not come to the second hearing, I asked to postpone it, but the judge granted the claim in full,” said the Ufa resident.

In her opinion, the judge did not understand the circumstances when she upheld the claim. Now Ksenia has to pay the mortgage and also scramble to deal with a bank debt of 6.5 million rubles.

“A debt collector came to my home. The other day they already called me. We are in a deadlock, we do not know what to do. Sell — we have nothing to sell. I am at my wit«s end,” states the mother of three children.

“He Withdrew Everything”

At the same time, 720,000 rubles remained in the bank, which were supposed to be the third tranche, but the credit organization is not releasing them. That money, Ksenia believes, would have been enough to save the timber that the builders brought, but now it just lies under rain and snow, has turned black, and is clearly unusable for further use.

“The bank profits from this, while I, a disabled mother of many children, pay for the full cost of the mortgage, although I did not receive it in full. No one will protect me. My children, two daughters and a son, who helped them?” our interviewee protests.

All these years Ksenia wrote to various authorities at the regional and federal levels, but unsuccessfully. The Russian Ministry of Construction told her to sue the developer, and the Bashkortostan ministry advised her to go to the police. That was it. The agencies turned out to be powerless.

She sees no way out of this situation — everyone who could help refused. The bank, ministries, law enforcement — yes, there is a criminal case, victim status, but what is the point of it.

“Well, they will give Vlasov 4-5 years, then he will be released on parole. Enforcement proceedings against him totaled 232 million rubles. He must have withdrawn everything, since he has neither money nor property. He prepared. When we imposed arrest on his accounts in court, there was already nothing there. It does not make it easier for us that he will be imprisoned,” the Ufa resident suggests.

Currently, confrontations are taking place in the criminal case, that is, victims and accused are brought together to clarify testimony from everyone at once.

“I personally was not at the confrontation with Vlasov, but other victims say he denies everything. He refers to the fact that he was told that construction was in full swing, but he himself did not visit the sites,” says Ksenia.

However, she believes that the general director of Vi-Stroy is lying a bit, since he was in the general chat where she wrote about the problems.

Ksenia was at a confrontation with Igor Vlasov«s deputy — Vladimir Baiburin. It was he who gave comments to UFA1.RU during the preparation of the first article. At that time, the deputy director assured us that all objects would be completed. However, he stopped answering subsequent calls, and messages on social networks too. Baiburin, according to Ksenia, also denies any fraud.

In the conversation, she recalled the friendship between Bashkortostan and Abkhazia, direct flights, and construction projects. Authorities even claim that the colonnade on the Belaya River embankment is a copy of the one in Sukhumi.

“Radiy Khabirov publicizes so much that we are ‘brotherly peoples.’ I appealed from this side: ‘My husband is a citizen of Abkhazia, your ‘brotherly people,’ he came here, started a family, children, he works as much as he can, he got into trouble, at least help him,’ but also no,” the mother of three children laments in tears.

“Is This Childhood?”

At the same time, in March 2026, the Central Bank of Russia sent a letter to all credit organizations that issued mortgages for IZhS. In it, the regulator recommended: provide credit holidays to all affected clients, carry out loan restructuring, and in individual cases — even write off the mortgage. The Central Bank listed categories of citizens: disabled people of groups I and II, pensioners, large families, and others.

Ksenia meets these parameters, but banks refused to take such steps — because the Central Bank«s letter was advisory, just a “free piece of advice.”

The only option our interviewee sees is to continue drawing attention to the problem.

“Today I sent two letters — it took me half a day. During that time the children had already woken up and were waiting for me to make them breakfast. Is this childhood, that their mother is constantly typing and sending something instead of going out for a walk with them? Instead of dedicating time to them. They already know what ‘accreditation,’ ‘courts,’ ‘lawyers’ mean… should children have such a childhood?” asks the mother of three children.

The defrauded IZhS participant says her family is trying to cope with the problems morally. Ksenia considers herself guilty for what happened: she saw this mortgage and convinced her husband to get involved in this story.

However, the Ufa resident notes, her partner does not blame her for it, whereas in other families there were even divorces.