Russia reclaims abandoned children's camp after decade-long legal fight

PrimaMedia, April 27 – The Prosecutor's Office of Nadezhdinsky District has successfully secured the return of land plots and real estate assets belonging to the former Kosmos children's camp on the De-Friz Peninsula to municipal ownership, following a court ruling. Upon reconsideration, the trial court granted the prosecutor's claim in full, the press service of the Primorsky Territory Prosecutor's Office reports.

An investigation revealed that in 2008, 17 land plots and 17 buildings—totaling approximately 0.7 hectares—were illegally privatized, transferring them from municipal to private ownership for a purchase price exceeding 11 million rubles. The properties were subsequently altered and resold multiple times, ultimately ending up in the hands of three individuals, the statement notes.

The Nadezhdinsky District prosecutor filed a lawsuit to invalidate the transactions, reclaim the property from unlawful possession, and restore it to municipal ownership. The prosecution also sought interim measures, including a ban on the use and transfer of the disputed assets.

However, in November 2024, the Nadezhdinsky District Court dismissed the claim, and the appellate court upheld the decision. Dissatisfied with the rulings, the prosecutor's office appealed to the cassation court. In November 2025, the cassation court overturned the previous judgments due to violations of substantive and procedural law, remanding the case for a new trial. Upon reconsideration, the trial court sided with the prosecution, granting the claim in full. The enforcement of the ruling will be monitored by the prosecutor's office once it enters into legal force.

The Kosmos camp first opened in 1960 under the management of the Dalzavod shipyard. In 1994, the plant signed a 15-year joint activity agreement with the Vladivostok administration. In 2005, Dalzavod's external manager transferred the camp to Nadezhdinsky District ownership. Between 2007 and 2008, part of the camp's facilities were privatized, and by 2009, it had ceased operations for children. Since then, multiple attempts have been made to sell the land. In 2015, a fire broke out on the former camp's grounds, with arson suspected as a possible means to clear the land.

The return of Kosmos is part of a broader campaign to reverse the privatization of former children's camps. As previously reported by PrimaMedia, in February 2026, the process of returning the former Lesnaya Polyana camp to municipal ownership entered its final stage. The Sovetsky District Court of Vladivostok issued an enforcement order for the seizure of the entire complex in favor of the Vladivostok Urban Okrug.