Kuzminki Residents Lack Sunlight and Face Multiple Challenges
«We»re like a city within a city; you couldn«t imagine a better neighborhood,» says young resident Veronica, who bought an apartment on the Left Bank back in 2019.
We are in Kuzminki — one of the largest and «youngest» microdistricts of new buildings in the city, located on Krupskaya Street. Hundreds of young families live here, and the total number of residents amounts to several thousand. The cost of housing is one of the highest in Omsk. In particular, for a one-bedroom apartment they ask for 7–8 million rubles (approx. $70,000–$80,000 at current rates), for two- and three-bedroom apartments — 12–16 million rubles (approx. $120,000–$160,000). In the summer of 2025, a scandal erupted in the microdistrict over the enrollment of children in the new Avangard Lyceum, and quite recently a major fire occurred, in which a woman died and three people were injured.
But what is life like in the microdistrict now? What do its residents like and dislike, and what problems do they have — this is covered in our report.
The Tallest District
When you enter Kuzminki, it seems like you«re not in Omsk — everywhere there are real »skyscrapers« — 20-story buildings. In the center — a new school that looks quite futuristic. In short, it more resembles a bedroom community somewhere in the Moscow region or in St. Petersburg. And only the piercingly cold wind and uncleared snowdrifts remind you that we are in Siberia.
«It»s good here, everything is available — stores, deliveries work at any time. The area is quite comfortable. The buildings are also good. Many talk about noise, but I don«t hear anything — everything is quite normal. There can be problems with parking, but near my building you can park, near neighboring buildings it»s harder, especially after 9 p.m.,« says Kuzminki resident Elena.
According to the Omsk resident who has lived in the microdistrict for six years, even in the strongest frost the apartments are warm, the area is cleaned well — there is no trash or dirt anywhere. And the neighbors are quite decent.
«Many young families, we know each other, we communicate. We don»t want to move away from here anywhere.«
The amenities in the microdistrict compared to other new building locations are not bad — there are quite decent playgrounds, lighting is installed, everywhere there are tiled sidewalks and eco-parking (where grass can grow among the tiles). Everywhere is clean — there is no scattered trash. On a cold winter day, workers from the management company are installing slides that the young residents of the microdistrict slide down.
The building entrances also look atypical for Omsk. In each of them, New Year trees are installed.
In the «entrances,» cozy spaces have been created with sofas, bookshelves. The walls and floors are finished with ceramic tiles, original lighting is installed, and there are potted plants.
In short, not an entrance, but as if some kind of establishment. But the locals pay a lot for this beauty — almost 40 rubles per square meter is the tariff of the management company (one of the highest rates in the city).
If you go up to the 21st floor of a «candle» building, you can see all of Omsk as if in the palm of your hand.
The infrastructure in the microdistrict is also not bad — there are supermarkets, many pharmacies, parcel pickup points, in many buildings coffee shops and stores with fresh beer are open.
Queuing for Elevators
The district consists roughly equally of «candle» buildings and regular high-rises. Moreover, in the latter — more than 400 apartments in three entrances and over 1,000 residents. This is the cause of one of the problems.
«There are 8 apartments per floor, 20 floors. So, in an entrance there are 160 apartments, and only two elevators. Therefore, you often have to wait 10–15 minutes for it to arrive, queues form. Especially long waits in the morning and evening. It»s good that we live on the third floor, but what about those who live on the 18th–19th?« reflects a Kuzminki resident whom we met near the entrance of one such high-rise.
The girl admitted that the problem with elevators is one of the few in the microdistrict.
«Otherwise, everything is good here. The infrastructure is developed. It»s safe for both children and walking with a dog. And there«s such a lively atmosphere here. Especially in summer. Residents play ping-pong in the courtyards. In all the years, I»ve seen only one drunk person — he was walking past on Krupskaya. There are no drug addicts at all,« clarified Anastasia.
At the same time, the resident added that it wouldn«t hurt to build a dog walking area in the microdistrict. But the local management company wants to equip the area using money collected from residents.
Anastasia knows about another problem — the placement of children in the Avangard Lyceum, but she is not worried.
«My husband is a participant in the SMO (special military operation), so I think there won»t be problems with school and they«ll find a place for my child.»
Selling Registration to Get Children into School
As it turned out, local and non-local residents resorted to various tricks to get their children into the Avangard Lyceum. One resident anonymously said that her neighbors allegedly sold registration for children from other districts so they could get into the prestigious lyceum.
«We were waiting for a big school — in every family we have at least two children, many families. But they built a lyceum that also operates in only one shift. In short, a nightmare. Not everyone got in. But my child got in by some miracle.»
Through the trade in registration, children who had never lived a day in Kuzminki were enrolled in the lyceum. However, there are also «accidental residents» in the microdistrict — those who rent apartments daily.
«Many apartments in the buildings are rented out, including daily. Especially on the upper floors. Young people rent them. Many litter, make noise. This creates certain inconveniences.»
Problems with Trash, Transport, and Sunlight
Despite positive reviews, the locals do have problems. The first concerns those who haven«t bought a car yet — the public transport service.
«Everything is good, stores are close, bus stops are close. The apartment is warm, I»ve lived in it since 2019. I bought it when it was still inexpensive. Only if the public transport worked better — buses are overcrowded and you have to wait a long time,« complained pensioner Vera Kuzminichna.
There are also those who complain about the lack of sun in their apartment.
«The windows of our two-bedroom face one side — as it turned out, northeast. Because of this, the sun is in the apartment only early in the morning in summer. In winter, there is none at all. Who designed the district so that there»s little light?« protests Elizaveta.
As it turned out, there are many such «northeast» apartments in Kuzminki — over a hundred. Soon there will be even less sun in the houses — a new microdistrict «Kvartaly Draverta» is being built on two sides of Kuzminki. Because of this, residents also have a problem with the trash area. In its place, a high-rise is now being built, and the containers have been moved near one of the buildings.
«Because of this trash area, we argue with the management company. They assure that they are writing letters to the mayor»s office, but we don«t believe it. Imagine what »aroma« we»ll have under our noses in spring?« lamented local resident Evgeny.
«We Would Leave From Here… to Another City»
And a married couple — Angelica and Vyacheslav noticed another problem — emissions.
«The microdistrict was built in a floodplain. All emissions from Neftyaniki accumulate here. Especially in summer, it»s impossible to open the windows. We also have an apartment on the third floor. Those who live higher up don«t have such a problem. And we have excellent soundproofing. For example, I know that the neighbor likes to watch »Channel One«,» laughs Vyacheslav.
His wife Angelica admitted that she still wouldn«t move from Kuzminki to another district of the city, because she would rather leave Omsk altogether.
«We don»t plan to move from here, only if we leave Omsk altogether because of the emissions. Otherwise, I like everything here, I work as a teacher in a kindergarten, my daughter goes to school. It«s nearby — she leaves the entrance and is immediately in class. And otherwise, it»s good for us, adequate people live here.«
In summary, the pluses of the district include decent housing quality in terms of warmth, good transport accessibility, the presence of stores and everything necessary for life. The minuses — traditional for such locations problems with parking, insufficient sound insulation and sunlight in apartments.
Earlier we wrote about life in other new microdistricts of the city:
«You make the whole city laugh»: What«s wrong with Omsk»s elite district Silver Coast
So we«ve arrived: how Omsk residents live in Regata between the beach and the railway
Previously, marginalized people settled, now — well-off people. How Omsk residents live in the largest new building district Amur-2
