15:00, 24 June 2026

A source reported searches at the Ministry of Natural Resources of Dagestan.

Law enforcement officials seized documents from the Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources during a search in connection with a case of fraud in the construction of waste processing plants, a source reported.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," waste removal and disposal has been a persistent problem in Dagestan for a long time. Back in early 2021, the republic experienced a so-called "garbage collapse" after the regional operator, Lider LLC, announced on December 31, 2020, that it would cease waste collection in Makhachkala and Kaspiysk. Municipal enterprises took over waste removal, but due to a lack of specialized equipment, the work proceeded too slowly. As a result, containers overflowed with waste. Social media users have called the problems with garbage collection in Dagestan a garbage collapse.

Residents of Dagestan continue to complain about problems with garbage collection, as well as unauthorized dumps. In particular, on June 21, residents of Kaspiysk pointed out the unresolved problem of overflowing trash bins.

Officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Security Service (FSB) seized documents from the Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources as part of a search in connection with a fraud investigation into the construction of waste processing plants in the republic. Investigative measures are also being conducted at the residential addresses of the contractor managers against whom fraud cases have been opened, the source said.

"They are suspected of illegal actions during the construction of these facilities," Interfax quoted a law enforcement source as saying today.

Fraud during the construction of waste processing plants has been discovered in four districts of Dagestan. Six facilities were supposed to be built, and they have been completed, but some have not been commissioned, the source explained. "During the construction of the waste processing plants, false information was provided about the volume of work performed and the materials used in their construction," he explained.

The Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources stated that it is assisting law enforcement agencies in the investigation. "The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Republic of Dagestan continues its normal operations and is actively assisting law enforcement agencies in the investigation," reads a statement published today on the ministry's Telegram channel.

As a reminder, in 2019, Dagestan authorities announced that eight waste sorting facilities would be built in the republic, including in Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Derbent, and Khasavyurt. One such plant was built in 2021 in the village of Botlikh, but was never commissioned.

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Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/424373