For many years, the people of Kurgan have been trying to get the Roma people living in the Zatobolny area next to the city to leave.
The Roma people formed a settlement there, and Kurgans complained that thefts became more frequent and drug distribution problems started happening. Despite organizing public gatherings, rallies, and complaints to the authorities, nothing changed.
At the end of last year, the settlement suddenly became empty, causing concern for the locals. They believe the abandoned gypsy village poses a serious danger to the entire area. To understand the cause for concern, a Znak.com correspondent visited the village.
“Bessarabets”
As you enter Zatobolny, located 8 kilometers from Kurgan, you notice residential buildings covered in snow, with scraps of cellophane on the windows. There's an overturned trash can, canvas roofs, and furniture pieces poking out from under the snow – this is TSN “Bessarabets,” where the gypsy community lived without electricity, communications, or even a place on the city map for several years.
According to local residents, in the summer of 2021, their neighbors were given a new land plot near Keramzitny and the village of Utyak, where about 30 families moved during the fall.
When you enter the abandoned village, you see the remains of a simple gypsy life. I counted about 15 residential buildings, as well as many sheds, toilets, and a tiny bathhouse in a relatively small area.
Nikita Telizhenko / Znak.com
Most valuable items were taken out, except for a TV set found in one house, broken children’s toys, a tricycle, broken vases, and a huge amount of fragments of inexpensive furniture, contrasting with the window openings covered with cellophane.
As Tatyana mentioned, the houses are made of slabs and boards that resemble sawmill waste. The boards were reportedly given to them for free as help from the authorities.
Several houses contained the frozen bodies of animals left behind by the gypsies who also left their dogs there, some of which did not survive the winter. Homeless people seem to be living in one of the abandoned houses.
Nikita Telizhenko / Znak.com
As previously reported by Znak.com, the coexistence issue between the Roma and the people of Kurgan has been an ongoing problem. The Tabor lived in the Zatobolny area in the nineties, but in 1994, the administration temporarily relocated them to Keramzitovy due to the threat of flooding in Zatobolny at that time.
In 2011, a serious conflict erupted between the gypsies and the residents of Keramzitovy village. The camp then moved to Zatobolny and settled there, building over a dozen houses from planks and managing to set up electricity.
The people of Zatobolny have asked the authorities of Kurgan multiple times to solve the issue of gypsies seizing their land and to remove them. In 2012, the authorities asked the citizens to wait until spring instead of evicting the Roma in the middle of winter. However, the problem remains unsolved. In 2013, a meeting was held in Zatobolny, where residents complained about living next to the gypsies and accused the camp representatives of drug trafficking, shooting, and littering. The authorities responded by saying there was no problem and that they should coexist peacefully.
Nikita Telizhenko / Znak.com
“The gypsies tried to avoid conflicts with the locals,” said Alexander, a resident of Zatobolny. However, he mentioned some unpleasant experiences, such as having small items stolen, though he had no issues with the adults.
The Municipality of Kurgan has made a decision not in favor of the townspeople, who have been trying to remove the unwanted neighbors for two years. Unique PHOTO
“It’s good that they left, as they brought nothing but dirt, drugs, and theft. The adults were okay, but the children were rude, climbing into gardens and stealing. Gennady, a neighbor, shares this opinion.
Both men believe that the former neighbors were responsible for the abundance of drugs and frequent theft in Zatobolny. Additionally, they mentioned that the camp's dogs caused great dissatisfaction among the locals, as they often attacked people and once bit a 10-year-old girl.
“One match is enough”
Gennady mentioned that the situation did not become calmer. He expressed concern for his mother, who resides in Zatobolny.
“They should have taken their sheds with them,” the man said. He worries that in the spring, children or homeless people could accidentally start a fire, which could cause extensive damage.
Nikita Telizhenko / Znak.com
According to Gennady, at the entrance to the village, there are illegally built structures, without proper permits or expertise. He recalled a fire that destroyed several houses a few years ago. The fire took place in April 2017, fortunately without any casualties.
Tatyana, a resident of the village, shared a similar view. She lives in a part of the house directly next to the now abandoned gypsy village. She expressed concern about the highly flammable nature of their houses and the potential risk they pose in the event of a fire.
According to her, when a fire broke out five years ago, the Roma themselves tried to put out their houses, although unsuccessfully, and this helped buy time before the arrival of firefighters. What will happen in the event of a fire now, when there is not a single living soul left in the village, Tatyana, in her words, is “terrible to imagine”.
Nikita Telizhenko / Znak.com
Meanwhile, the administration of the city of Kurgan told Znak.com that they were aware of the situation, and reported that in January 2022, a notification was sent to the chairman of the board of TSN Bessarabets about the need to bring this territory into proper condition, including that it was necessary ensure the dismantling of buildings and clean up the territory from construction and household waste. It is indicated that in case of non-fulfillment of this requirement, administrative measures will be taken against TSN.
According to the city administration, the territory of the Zatobolny microdistrict is included in the list of fire plowing, which will be carried out there in the spring of 2022. Also, on the land plot next to the TSN, work is already planned to cut the reeds.
