Anatoly Shirokov, a senator from Magadan, proposed a ban on one-room apartments to "strengthen families" in a post on his personal website on September 16.
Senator Anatoly Shirokov argued that the share of one-room apartments in the real estate market should be reduced in favor of three-room units and other more spacious living options. In his view, small apartments are not "suitable for families and having children."
Shirokov suggested that this measure could be "one way to preserve the population in Russia's geostrategic territories." He believes regions should follow Moscow’s lead, where a ban on building apartments smaller than 28 square meters has been in effect since August 1.
Shirokov is not the first official to criticize small apartments. In the summer, Ilshat Gimayev, the Vice Minister of Construction for Tatarstan, referred to studio apartment residents as "disadvantaged and isolated" and voiced his support for banning the construction of such units.