Looters Strip Tyumen Woman's Apartment Clean
Natalya left belongings in the empty house due to lack of storage; looters took nearly everything.
In the middle of a small room that was once her only home, a woman stands on the verge of tears. She received the apartment in a small wooden house on Kurchatov Street in the DOK district over 20 years ago and began to settle in, gradually creating a cozy space. In just six months in 2025, it was all destroyed. Below, we explore how this could have happened.
Once a residential building, the house on Kurchatov Street is now a favorite spot for looters.
Empty House
Even climbing to the second floor is now problematic due to the building«s condition.
— Welcome. The refrigerator, stove were here. Nothing is left, even the dishes were taken. And importantly, the furniture was taken somewhere, I don«t understand, — says Natalya Orlova, once the owner of the apartment on Kurchatov Street.
Only a few pieces of furniture, some items, and stripped walls remain in the apartment.
The small apartment is a mess. The windows are removed, the cold pierces to the bone. In the room stands a half-disassembled wardrobe with a few clothes remaining. Light barely penetrates: someone has thoughtfully placed furniture against a hole in the wall through which the sun used to illuminate the small space. On the floor lies a children«s construction set.
A wardrobe now serves as a window, someone having moved it there.
The bathroom is now a wreck. Looters smashed the drywall wall and removed almost all the plumbing from the toilet. From the kitchen, they took all the appliances, even cut off the radiators.
The drywall dividing the toilet was torn apart, leaving it exposed.
— It«s useless to cry now. It»s hard to bear all this, although I thought I could, — the woman shares.
The music center speaker was left behind, either unwanted or considered worthless.
But the looters left a good hat, carefully placing it in the kitchen. It«s unclear whether it belonged to the metal hunters or to someone from Kurchatov Street, because the other apartments are even more chaotic than Natalya»s.
The apartment is in a state of complete disarray.
— The last time I came here was at the end of December, everything was fine. I had stored household appliances here. Over the holidays, two or three days, they took everything. It«s completely unclear who did this, — says the Tyumen woman.
Going downstairs, the frost has taken its toll, leaving ice everywhere.
Natalya has lived in the DOK district for a long time. First in the private sector, in a small private house with her parents. In 2001, Orlova received an apartment in a two-story building on Kurchatov Street. She was given housing under a social rental contract; the woman cares for the sick. In this house, her daughter grew up; now she is raising a son.
Items are frozen into the ice and will only thaw in spring.
— The whole family was registered in this apartment. My older daughter with two children and me with my son. A year and a half ago, my daughter was given another apartment. Only me and my child remain, — says Orlova.
The downstairs neighbors were flooded, though no one seems concerned.
The house was officially declared unsafe back in 2018. But residents were not relocated. According to Natalya, the relocation plans were under the comprehensive redevelopment territory (KRT) mechanism, which is a different relocation mechanism (we«ll explain below. — Editor»s note). By the end of 2025, only two apartments in the Kurchatov Street house were occupied — Natalya and her downstairs neighbors.
One of the apartments in the building has frozen over.
— We had everything until the end, both heating and water. There was even an electric heater in the room. Apparently, when they ripped out the washing machine, they damaged the water — and now on the first floor there is a huge column of ice, — the woman says.
The steam from hot water created a winter wonderland, albeit a sad and lifeless one.
And indeed, the apartment on the first floor shows the consequences of the flood. In the small kitchen — a huge cold column, the floor is slippery. In some places, frost has formed intricate patterns.
— Everything was here, ceilings, windows, radiators. When the house became empty, it became scary, because nothing is closed, someone is walking around. What am I supposed to do with it? — asks the woman.
Now Natalya lives in the eastern part of the city, sometimes with her daughter, sometimes with relatives. She is waiting for another apartment to which she must be relocated. But even that is not so simple.
Is the Problem Being Solved?
The editorial team of 72.RU approached the municipality to find out when Natalya«s problem would be resolved.
— Let«s start with the fact that the house was declared unsafe in 2018 by a corresponding order of the city administration. The relocation deadline was set for January 2029. It will be carried out within the established timeframe, — the authorities stated.
Currently, a renovation is underway in this area, and a corresponding contract has been signed.
The city administration confirms the fact that housing was provided under a social rental contract.
The procedure for provision is determined by the Housing Code.
— The other living space provided in connection with the demolition of a residential building under a social rental contract must be well-equipped, equivalent in total area to the previously occupied space, meet established requirements, and be located within the boundaries of this populated area. In our case, in Tyumen, — the authorities stated.
According to them, another apartment has been purchased with developer funds, located in Lesobaza.
The apartment«s area, according to the authorities, is more than 35 square meters, while on Kurchatov Street it was six square meters smaller.
— Measures are currently underway for the developer to transfer the apartment to municipal ownership. After all procedures are completed, Orlova will be invited to submit documents and an application for the provision of living space, — the city administration reported.
The authorities also responded regarding who should be responsible for property preservation. According to the KRT agreement, the developer is responsible for this.
— The developer«s responsibilities include ensuring the preservation of apartment buildings and individual residential houses located within the boundaries of the residential development territory, and their safety for third parties, ensuring housing and property rights, which are carried out at the developer»s expense until the demolition date. We have sent him a corresponding letter, — the authorities added.
Updated at 14:30 MSK on 4 February 2026
The city administration reported that on 4 February, new housing for Orlova was registered.
— In order to ensure the housing rights of the applicant (the heroine of the article. — Editor«s note), the developer has transferred an equivalent living space to municipal ownership. The right of municipal ownership of the living space was registered on 4 February 2026. The tenant has been invited to the Department of Property Relations to provide living space under a social rental contract in accordance with the established legal procedure, — the city administration stated.
Earlier, we showed this house on Kurchatov Street in a separate article. Look at how everything looks inside, mesmerizing footage.
