A court in Adygea denied environmentalists' request to protect the forest.

The Supreme Court of Adygea rejected the Social and Ecological Union's lawsuit against the Republican Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning. The lawsuit concerned the preservation of protective forests, where 9,950 trees are planned to be cut down for the construction of the Lagonaki ski resort. Environmental activists intend to appeal the decision.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in August 2024, activists reported that trees were being cut down and a water pipeline was being built on the Lagonaki plateau, where authorities plan to build a resort. Environmentalists have confirmed that construction is damaging the environment.

On February 19, a court in Adygea rejected a lawsuit filed by the Social and Ecological Union to preserve protective forests near the Caucasus Nature Reserve, where they plan to build the "Upper Village" hotel complex and cut down approximately 10,000 trees. This was reported by the "LAGO-NAKI LIVE!" initiative group on its Telegram channel.

The environmentalists challenged the legality of the resort's development plans on forested areas adjacent to the Caucasus Nature Reserve. In 2023, officials amended the general plan of the Dakhovskoye rural settlement to benefit the resort business, and also approved the planning project for the "Upper Village" hotel town.

The lands on which the resort is planned to be located were removed from forest fund lands and transferred from federal ownership. into the ownership of the Dakhovskoye rural settlement. According to the plaintiffs, this violated forestry legislation stipulating that forests designated as protected areas must be used only for their intended purpose.

Judge Nazyrbiy Bodzhokov disagreed with the environmentalists' arguments, finding no illegality in the actions of the officials and businessmen. Environmentalists intend to appeal the decision.

"According to those present, Judge Nazyrbiy Badzhokov's main arguments were that if everything was approved at the very top, and Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshenko approved the national project, then construction was possible. He also argued that if the reserve's protected zone allows for logging and construction, then there is nothing illegal in the actions of officials and businessmen," the environmental activists wrote.

As a reminder, in July 2021, environmental activists protested the construction of a mountain resort in the Lagonaki Highlands. Adygea authorities are not engaging in dialogue with opponents of the resort's construction, and federal authorities have not responded to the scientists' appeals due to the threat to the unique natural site, they stated. On June 1, 2024, the Russian Cabinet of Ministers announced that Adygea would receive more than 500 million rubles to complete construction of a highway to the Lago-Naki plateau.