Fight for an Apartment

On February 4, news outlet Verstka's investigation revealed that Russia was not granting its orphans the apartments they are legally entitled to. Instead, government authorities told them to enlist to fight in Russia's war on Ukraine, with many not returning home to see their housing.

Children in Russia who live in orphanages or with foster families are legally entitled to housing once they turn 18. Orphans must get on a waiting list with their municipalities. It usually takes many years for the kids to receive their apartment keys: as of November 2025, 266,000 people were waiting for an apartment.

Many orphans sue their municipalities to get quicker access to a place to live. However, since 2023, a new law has declared that those who enlisted to fight for Russia in Ukraine would be given priority on the waitlist for access to an apartment.

After years of waiting for an apartment and a lawsuit, Mikhail (whose real name was concealed) received a call from municipal authorities to tour an apartment in Klintsy. He travelled from his tutors' house in Bryansk to see his new home. However, the morning of the meeting, he received the news that the residence was given to an orphan who had returned from the war. Mikhail had completed basic compulsory military service, but this was not enough.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, orphanages have been targeted with pro-war propaganda and initiatives. Children weave camouflage nets, write letters to soldiers, and learn how to shoot a gun. Orphans are taken to visit and clean the graves of fallen soldiers. Many of them sign military contracts after a friend enlists. According to psychologist Nikolai Shcherbakov, orphaned kids are given an incorrect diagnosis of "mild intellectual disability" and hope to get it removed from their records by signing up to fight. An estimated 6,000 orphans are fighting in Ukraine.

Mikhail enlisted to fight in Ukraine. Shortly after, he was guaranteed an apartment in Klintsy. The municipal administration said, "We didn't know that you were a participant in the [war]." In October 2025, Mikhail was given military leave and was able to stay for a few days in his new home. However, he was quickly summoned back to the front.

Participating in the war has not helped many orphans in their quest for housing. An orphan from Naberezhnye Chelny who fought in Ukraine is still waiting for his home. Even if housing is provided, it may be uninhabitable: a veteran and his children in Tuva moved into an apartment that had mold and that lacked running water and heating. 

Further, many orphans who fight never get to see their apartments. Anton and his younger sister Faina, from Ivanovo, had tried for years to get housing. The older brother enlisted to fight in the Russian trenches. In March 2024, he was wounded on the battlefield. A month later, he received an apartment but was sent back to the front. He allowed his sister to live in the residence. In May 2024, without ever seeing his new home, Anton died.

Family members are not guaranteed to inherit the apartments from their loved ones. Faina fought in court to keep the apartment. The Department of Development in Ivanovo said that there were 860 orphans ahead of her on the list. Since she did not participate in the war, her lease was annulled and she was asked to leave the apartment. Faina's case gathered media attention, and she was able to keep her home, which his decorated with pictures of her brother.