Residents of several villages in Russia’s Republic of Dagestan affected by severe spring flooding say they have struggled to obtain compensation for damaged homes, with many claiming they secured payments only after appealing to prosecutors, commissioning independent expert assessments and requesting new inspections, the independent outlet Kavkazsky Uzel reported. Regional authorities have acknowledged that about 2,000 compensation claims initially rejected were later approved following appeals.

Among those affected are residents of the village of Tutlar, which was flooded in late March after the Aktash River burst its banks. Local resident Zumrut Ezhuyeva told Kavkazsky Uzel that a government commission initially classified her home as requiring major repairs but later reversed its decision without explanation.

To challenge the ruling, she filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office. Following a second inspection and an independent technical assessment, officials confirmed that the house did indeed require major repairs.

Other residents of flood-hit villages described similar experiences. They said officials frequently failed to explain why compensation claims had been rejected, forcing homeowners to gather evidence and prove the extent of the damage themselves.

Dagestan’s authorities say the primary inspection of damaged properties has been completed. However, regional Prime Minister Magomed Ramazanov acknowledged that the review process is continuing, with previously rejected applications being reassessed. According to him, authorities have already approved around 2,000 claims after applicants submitted independent expert reports and pre-trial legal complaints.

Problems persist in other affected communities as well. Residents of the village of Adilotar said they had received compensation for lost property, but the payments covered only part of their losses. The floods destroyed crops, killed livestock and left many homes in need of repair. As of late July, families whose houses had become uninhabitable were still waiting to receive government housing certificates.

Severe flooding swept across the North Caucasus in late March and early April following days of heavy rainfall. Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya were among the hardest-hit regions. In Dagestan, six people were killed.

In Tutlar, floodwaters rose rapidly during the night of March 28–29. According to local residents, roughly half of the village’s approximately 100 homes are located near the Aktash River. When the river overflowed, water inundated residential buildings and courtyards, destroying traditional adobe outbuildings. Women, children, elderly residents and people with limited mobility were evacuated, while villagers dug drainage channels along the roadside in an attempt to divert part of the floodwater into nearby fields.

More than four months after the disaster, recovery efforts in Dagestan remain ongoing. Authorities continue to review thousands of compensation claims that were initially rejected, while many flood victims are still forced to seek recognition of their losses—and the compensation they say they are entitled to—through prosecutors and independent expert assessments.

Earlier, New DOSH reported that residents affected by the flooding had submitted around 215,000 applications for government assistance. A total of 131 assessment commissions have been established across the republic and have inspected more than 15,000 households.