Bishkek is dismantling balconies made without permits and stripping some apartment buildings back to their original Soviet-era designs, new photos show. The blitz on balconies is under way in several areas in the Kyrgyz capital and follows a law introduced in 2024.
The 2024 legislation gave Bishkek authorities the power to dismantle unauthorized additions to buildings with the stated aim of improving the city's "holistic architectural and aesthetic appearance."
A boom truck outside an apartment building with a covered balcony in Bishkek on June 26.
Illegally constructed balconies jutting out of apartment buildings are a common sight in many former Soviet cities. The unauthorized constructions reportedly began appearing before the collapse of the U.S.S.R. due to a need for storage space in Soviet-era apartments built without cellars.
The additions are often made in the form of tin coverings built around existing concrete balconies, and Bishkek residents have said the covered balconies help to reduce noise and dust in roadside apartments.
Covered balconies in Bishkek on June 24.
Bishkek's City Hall says owners of balconies targeted for dismantling are being served notices warning of the imminent reconstructions. Despite apparent hiccups presented by apartment owners being absent when enforcement teams arrive, the administration insists that "all illegally constructed balconies for which notices have been issued will be dismantled without fail."
As well as covered structures, municipal teams are cracking down on changes made to original balconies, such as coverings that some have installed to increase privacy.
A woman speaks with a work crew amid the crackdown on unauthorized balcony reconstructions in Bishkek. The asbestos panels around the woman's balcony were removed soon after this picture was taken on June 26.
The demolition drive comes as Kyrgyzstan prepares to host the 2026 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Nomad Games, both of which are expected to be held in late summer 2026. But Bishkek's mayor's office says the balcony dismantling will continue "on an ongoing basis, regardless of whether international events are taking place."
The citywide effort has led to controversy over the way some work crews have approached the work, including claims that one crew dumped demolition waste into the living room of a resident who was not home at the time.
Waste left by a demolition crew seen on June 26 beneath an apartment that had a covered balcony.
On social media, residents appear to be divided over the balcony demolitions.
Some have praised municipal efforts to bring architectural harmony to the Kyrgyz capital, while others have balked at the featureless Soviet aesthetic being reintroduced.
One commenter likened the stripped-down apartment buildings to student dormitories.
"It feels like there are no longer residents in these apartments but just students living throughout the city," the Instagram user said.