Pskov government employee who threw dogs out in the cold was fired

Svetlana Udovenko, deputy head of the legal department of the regional government, was fired in the Pskov region. The decision was made due to an incident with dogs thrown out in the cold on the highway. Udovenko was engaged in breeding dachshunds and spaniels.

Governor Mikhail Vedernikov announced his dismissal in his channel in the MAX messenger. He said that the operation to find the discarded dogs was organized by volunteers. They helped save the animals from certain death.

Vedernikov also promised that the ex-government employee would answer for what he had done before the law. Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident. Immediately after the information was received, the government began an internal audit, the Pskov News feed writes.

In early January 2026, Pskov volunteers found out that about 25 pedigreed dogs had been deliberately dumped on the Pskov—Slantsy highway. In the publication of the Pskov State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company on the VKontakte social network, information appeared that the reason for such an act was a police check. Numerous complaints were received about the owner of the dogs.

Earlier it was reported that in Russia they want to create a unified register of breeders — persons engaged in breeding animals for sale. The bill was developed by a working group of State Duma deputies on the treatment of stray animals, Deputy Alexander Spiridonov (United Russia), one of the authors of the initiative and a member of the working group, told Izvestia. The bill has been sent to the government for review.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.