Ermolovka is a small village in the Adler region of Sochi, practically on the border with Abkhazia.

According to the latest census, about 400 people lived here in 2014, but since then, local residents say, the population has grown to 600 people.

Nevertheless, there is still practically no infrastructure in the village.

Work, school and even shops - for all this, every day you have to not only drive by car for 8-15 kilometers along the only road connecting Ermolovka with the main part of Greater Sochi, but also do it at the risk of your life.

“There used to be asphalt here, back in Soviet times,” shows Olga Kutuzova, a resident of Ermolovka.

Pebbles crunch under the woman's feet, in some places you can see scraps of dilapidated asphalt - all that remains of the pavement.

The road is all dotted with deep pits and potholes filled with water.

After each rain, the road erodes even more.

“There is no drainage or water disposal on the slopes.

It is even impossible to walk, much less driving.

If only on a UAZ, ”continues Kutuzova, pointing to a long track 15 centimeters deep.

The rains here, in a mountainous area with a subtropical climate, are especially destructive for the roads, local residents say.

Streams flow down the mountain slopes, and in case of severe bad weather - mudflows.

In winter, avalanches often come down.

In some sections, the road is unpaved, covered with large pebbles.

On others, it is concrete, only the soil under the slabs has collapsed, and deep gaps are gaping right below them.

“The slabs hold on to their word of honor, the seams between them are leaking, it’s even scary to approach the edge!

And here the cars are driving, ”Kutuzova shows.

A steep cliff with a depth of several tens of meters begins immediately behind the slabs.

There are no fences.

Someone from the locals put two car tires on the edge of the slab - at least some kind of warning about a dangerous area.

“When driving, it is necessary to keep to the right side, but we cannot do this.

That is, you are actually driving along the oncoming lane, because the right side hangs, ”says Olga Kutuzova.

There is no public transport in the village - again, due to the condition of the road.

The only regular communication with the main part of the city is organized by the forces of the Ermolovka frontier post located in the village.

“Every morning they go to the city in a PAZik, first of all, they take the children to school,” says Olga.

According to local residents, in recent years there have been several cases when cars almost fell into the abyss. “Once a Gazelle fell off a cliff. I myself saw how the unfortunate passengers sat with fear in their eyes, and the car was below. Not quite deep, but she was dragged down. When you go up the road, there is a steep ascent, and if the load is heavy, the wheels begin to slip, and the car goes down the gravel road, down a slope, it is pulled in, ”Kutuzova recalls.

In September 2019, children almost suffered from a dangerous road.

“In one place, where there was a hole on the road, the bus of border guards, which was taking the children to school, stalled, and it was carried away.

One wheel was already hanging over the cliff.

The driver dropped the children, they were standing next to the bus when I saw it, passing by.

I picked up several people and took them back to the village, ”says Arkady, a resident of Ermolovka.

"Half a wheel hangs over an abyss"

The residents of Aibga suffer even worse.

This village is located behind Ermolovka, higher in the mountains, at an altitude of 850 m. About 100 people are registered here, several dozen live all year round.

Like Ermolovka, the same emergency road connects the village with the main part of Greater Sochi and the entire infrastructure.

In addition to the bumps, potholes and gullies that cover the road in the Ermolovka area, on the section leading to Aibga, it is also very narrow.

“Two and a half to three meters wide at most, and in some areas it passes at an angle of 45 degrees.

UAZs are still passing, but there are turns, where they barely fit.

And if there are heavy loads, then they constantly have half a wheel hanging over an abyss, ”says Anna, a resident of Aibga (her name was changed at her request).

In the videos filmed by local residents, the road in these parts is more like the bed of a dry mountain river: solid ruts and huge, several tens of centimeters each, cobblestones, along which cars somehow struggle to drive.

“Transport breaks down all the time, plus periodically there are mudflows and avalanches in winter,” Anna continues.

According to her, an ordinary car cannot enter the village at all: “They get stuck in Yermolovka, and only a highly elevated SUV can get here”.

But even on such machines, says Anna, you cannot accelerate more than 10-12 km / h: “15 - already breakneck speed is considered.

And to the asphalt 37 km, it takes 2.5 hours to get to the city. "

“There is still no connection on this road.

If there is a collapse, or a tree has fallen, which is very often the case, it is impossible even to call for help, ”says Olga Anatolyevna, a resident of Aibga.

Unlike neighboring Yermolovka, there have already been fatal accidents here, according to residents.

As Anna says, 10 years ago a fuel truck fell into the abyss.

An inexperienced driver was driving, he was taking diesel fuel to the village.

“Do you know how much there are monuments on this road?

Six or seven years ago, near the waterfall, the car left, three people died, one remained alive.

People are constantly dying.

Especially inexperienced, not locals.

Ours still more or less know the way.

But the same tourists from below - no.

A lot of them come to us, the places are beautiful, ”says Anna.

According to Arkady from Yermolovka, these regions, despite the deadly road, are really in demand among tourists: “They take them 50 cars every day, in two shifts.

While everyone is alive, but after all, someone may be killed. "

There are also many offers of car tours to Aibga on the Internet.

None of them mentions the danger of the local road.

10 hours to the hospital

“We have no store, no gas station, no pharmacy here.

The first-aid post was closed in 2002, ”say residents of Aibga.

Mostly pensioners live here.

There is no electricity in the village either, only a diesel generator.

“But if it breaks, we can sit for weeks without a light.

Therefore, almost everyone on the farm has their own gasoline engine, ”the residents continue.

Fuel, like food, is delivered, as they say here, "from below", from the main part of Greater Sochi.

“For a box of matches, if anything, either run to the neighbors, or go downstairs,” says Anna.

And if something happens to the road, Aibga is completely cut off from the rest of the world for days or even weeks.

This was the case, for example, with the recent flood in July.

The road was washed out, and residents could not even go for food for several days.

“We had a store several years ago, a man was holding it from below, delivering goods on the Niva.

But because of such a road he stopped.

He said that repairing a car is more expensive than selling here, ”says Anna.

It is especially difficult if someone in the village needs medical assistance.

Calling an ambulance here is like a full-fledged special operation.

“In order for an ambulance to arrive, you have to call the Emergencies Ministry.

They take their car, and they bring doctors to us.

Because in Adler, well, there are no ambulances that could come to us.

Or we are driving towards us in our off-road vehicles, we lower the patient down, and then somewhere near Ermolovka we meet with an ambulance.

And all this because of the road, ”says Olga Anatolyevna, a resident of Aibga.

But due to the fact that the village is located in the border zone, another problem arises, she continues: “We have access control in the village.

And when they call an ambulance, doctors need to have passports.

And not all doctors have it in their workplace.

I have to go home to get my passport.

Plus, call the Emergencies Ministry.

Imagine how long it takes. "

“They wait for an ambulance at least five to six hours one way.

We call, call, she gets to Yermolovka, transfers to the Emergencies Ministry, and only then goes to us.

That is, it takes 10 hours to take a person to the hospital, ”adds Anna.

According to her, because of this, local residents call doctors only in critical cases: “We are sitting here, packed with drugs to the very top: anti-allergenic, cardiac, anti-shock.

We have our own doctors in the city, they advise us by phone.

After all, it happens that there is only 15-20 minutes to respond.

We had a wasp bitten by one girl, and she was allergic.

It began to swell before our eyes.

They called the doctor, he said how to apply dexamethasone, other medications.

We pierced her, although we are not doctors, we have no right to do it.

But otherwise she would simply have died, because you can't wait for an ambulance. "

"There is a threat to the lives of residents"

In both Aibga and Ermolovka, people have been trying for many years to reach out to the authorities in order to bring the road into proper condition.

But unsuccessfully.

Residents of both villages show their numerous addresses and formal replies from officials.

The first reason the city officials say the road has not been repaired and is not foreseen in the near future is the lack of money.

"Within the framework of the measures of the municipal program" Development of the infrastructure of the municipal formation of the resort city of Sochi "for the reconstruction of highways for 2019-2021, carried out by the MCU of the city of Sochi" Department of highways ", the road on the street. Ermolovskaya of the Adler inner-city district of the city of Sochi has not been taken into account, ”the Department of Transport and Road Facilities of the Sochi Administration reported in response to an appeal by Olga Kutuzova from Ermolovka in 2019. A year later, Olga received a similar answer, where it was said that the road was still not taken into account by the municipal program, only now for 2020-2022 (both answers are at the disposal of RT).

The Sochi administration also confirmed to RT that they do not have the amount necessary for repairs.

"By the decision of the Sochi City Council" On the City Budget for 2021 and for the Planning Period of 2022 and 2023, "funding for the implementation of the above work is not provided," said the deputy head of the municipal formation of the Sochi resort city, Alexei Sokolov, to RT.

According to him, the estimated cost of design and survey work as part of the road repair is 67 million rubles, construction and installation work - 365 million rubles.

While for the maintenance and repair of all public highways of local importance on the territory of the Adler region within the framework of the municipal program in 2021 funding is provided in the amount of 66.7 million rubles, in the period from 2022 to 2024 - 67.2 million rubles annually, Sokolov continues.

"The number of objects requiring design and survey work significantly exceeds the amount of allocated funding," the Sochi administration replied to Oksana Bubuyok, a resident of Aibga (RT has the answer).

At the same time, the officials themselves admit the existence of a problem with the road.

“The Ermolovka - Aibga road is the only road connecting these villages with the center of the Adler region and the city of Sochi as a whole. The road bed has been destroyed along its entire length and is in an unsatisfactory condition. On a regular basis, after heavy rainfall, rockfalls occur, mudflows descend, in winter - snow blockages. Driving on the road is possible only on off-road vehicles. For this reason, there is a suspension of car traffic for several days or weeks, ”the Adler District Administration told Oksana Bubuyok in 2019.

“In addition to residents, border guards of the outposts“ Ermolovka ”,“ Aibga ”move along this road, which guard the state border, as well as the clergy of the Aibginsky skete of the Vladimir Mother of God of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, located in the mountains, 9 km from the village of Aibga, - listed in the document.

“Due to the unsatisfactory condition of the road (especially in the above-mentioned sections, prone to rockfalls and mudflows), there is a threat to the life and health of local residents, border guards and monks.”

"No renovation planned"

Residents of Ermolovka, in response to complaints about the condition of the road, were also told by the administration that repairs at the expense of the municipal budget were impossible not only due to a lack of funds, but also because the road passes through land plots that do not belong to the city, but to other persons - Sochi the national park and Russian Railways JSC.

RT contacted both organizations. The Ministry of Natural Resources said that “a public road from the village. Sweet cherry to the village. Akhshtyr of the Adler inner-city district passes within the boundaries of the Sochi National Park. “However, in fact, it is a local road connecting the indicated settlements and has never been under the jurisdiction of the Sochi National Park FSBI. In accordance with the Federal Law "On General Principles of Organization of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation", road activity in relation to local roads outside the boundaries of settlements belongs to the sphere of municipalities and they are responsible for the repair of roads, "the department said.

In turn, Dmitry Kurilov, Deputy Chief Engineer of the North Caucasus Railway, told RT that “a part of the road is located on the land plot of the railway right-of-way, which is federal property and transferred to Russian Railways for a long-term lease under an agreement in 2009. The automobile road is not on the balance sheet of the structural divisions of Russian Railways located at the North Caucasian Railroad range. Considering that the maintenance of roads is a non-core activity of Russian Railways, as well as the absence of the above road on the balance of Russian Railways, its repair by the North Caucasian Railways is not planned. "

RT also appealed to the Sochi administration with a request to comment on the information that was previously announced to the residents of Ermolovka about other owners of the road sections, but received no response. 

At the same time, officials provided other information to residents of Aibga.

“The specified road is located on lands belonging to the Sochi National Park.

According to the information provided earlier by the park, this road is not a motor road, it is a forestry fire road.

Based on the above, the organization of measures to strengthen soil areas over a vast territory at the expense of the municipal budget is not possible, ”the Sochi administration told Oksana Bubuyok in 2020 (the letter is at the disposal of RT).

However, a year later, officials wrote to the woman that the national park had nothing to do with the road.

“The Ermolovka - Aibga road was listed as a forestry fire road in the Sochi National Park.

But, according to the government decree of 2013 on the expansion of the park, the road was taken outside the boundaries of the institution.

For this reason, the maintenance of this road by the park is not possible, ”said Oksana Bubuyok in the administration of the Adler inner-city district (the letter is at the disposal of RT).

The officials themselves are denying the road.

“It should be noted that this road is not listed in the register of municipal property, and the budget of the local government of Sochi does not provide for the maintenance of the road, including winter.

The rightholder of the road is the Russian Federation, ”Oksana was informed.

Legal conflict

Experts' opinions on who should repair the road in this situation are also divided.

Lawyer Alexander Knyazev believes that the local authorities should repair the road in any case.

“If the road is of local importance, the responsibility for its maintenance belongs to the powers of the municipality.

In accordance with Art.

13 of the Federal Law "On Roads and Road Activities", the implementation of road activities in relation to highways is entrusted only to the municipality, "says Knyazev.

Another point of view is shared by the head of the department "Road-building materials" MADI, Professor Yuri Vasiliev.

“In this case, the municipal authorities are right that they are not able to repair the road that runs through the land plots owned by other persons.

The expenditure of budgetary funds for the repair of private property, or for property that is not under the jurisdiction of the subject, is a violation of the Budget Code, ”the expert is convinced.

"If the road is open for the passage of citizens, then local authorities have the right to take administrative measures on the owners of the road or land plot in the framework of technical supervision," adds Vasiliev.

“If the specified road is of local importance, and not federal, then it is under the jurisdiction of local self-government bodies of urban settlements, municipal districts, urban districts in the field of using highways and carrying out road activities.

By the law of the subject, a local road can be transferred to the jurisdiction of local self-government bodies and assigned to them, ”says Yevgeny Nesterov, Ph.D., director of the RUT Institute of Law (MIIT).

"If a part of the road runs through the territory of a land plot that is in the use of a third party, then an easement or maintenance of the road section, carried out at the expense of the owner of the site, can be installed on this site," the expert notes.

"When a road passes through the territory of other persons, and it is impossible to withdraw it for one reason or another, as a rule, an easement agreement is concluded, that is, a temporary lease using the section along which the road passes," the lawyer agrees with him. civil law Kirill Chernyavsky.

According to Andrey Borisov, a leading expert at the Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics, in this case, the conflict is quite serious. “If a municipal road passes through land plots and the property of other persons, then nothing can be done here, just negotiate with the rightholder to transfer to municipal ownership, alternate territories so that the road is owned by the municipality. It is clear why he does not want to do this - he will have more kilometers on his balance sheet, and he will have to spend more money on this, ”the expert says.

As Borisov noted, the main problem is that part of the road passes through a federal institution: “And if the territory belongs to the federation, then everything on it is owned, financed, operated and maintained by the federation.

Here it is necessary for the municipality to appeal to the federals.

That is, if the road is in poor condition within the boundaries of the park - this is a question for the federation, the municipality cannot get there.

But those plots that are part of the municipal property must be operated and maintained by the municipality. "

"They are waiting for us to die out"

While the authorities cannot agree with the owners of the land plots about who exactly will fix the road, the residents of Ermolovka and Aibga can only rely on themselves.

In Ermolovka, people with the road are only helped by border guards serving at the local outpost. “The military is the only one who does anything here. Once, when there was a severe sinkhole on the road, they brought two cars of old asphalt and filled it up. At least they leveled a little, we drove almost normally for half a year. Then again the rains and snows broke the road, - says Arkady. “And about a month ago, they cut branches along the roadside so that at least one could see what was around the bend.”

In Aibga, local retirees have to cope with their troubles on their own. “When the road is closed in winter, it's a common situation. Avalanches begin to descend, no one cleans them at all. Who wants to go - takes shovels and goes to dig, break through the rubble. The depth of the snow there is one and a half meters, we are digging 9-10 km of our rocky area, ”says Anna from Aibga. “They, apparently, are waiting for us here to simply die out of old age and there will be no need to repair anything,” concludes one of the residents of Aibga.