The State Duma called the deadline for taking action against the "Valley scheme"

Initiatives to protect Russians from a fraudulent real estate scheme known as the Dolinoy scheme or the Babushkin scheme may be adopted in the first quarter of 2026. This was announced on January 3 by Anatoly Aksakov, head of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market.

"I believe that next year, even in the first quarter, we will already regulate this issue so that people can safely buy and sell apartments without fear of fraudsters," he told RIA Novosti.

Aksakov noted that after the recent decision of the Supreme Court in the case of the sale of singer Larisa Dolina's apartment, participants in the secondary housing market felt more secure, but the current regulation still needs to be finalized. In his opinion, it is necessary to consolidate the norms that will allow citizens to more confidently make real estate purchase and sale transactions without the risk of fraud.

Among the measures being considered is the introduction of a so—called cooling-off period of up to one week. During this period, the buyer's funds will be temporarily blocked in a special account and transferred to the seller only after all documents are finalized. It is also proposed to fix the mandatory transfer of funds to the seller of the apartment, excluding the participation of third parties.

Another initiative is the complete abandonment of cash payments in real estate transactions. It is assumed that switching exclusively to a non-cash form of payment will help to stop unfair schemes related to underestimation or distortion of the real cost of housing, and will make the market more transparent and safer for all its participants.

From the courtroom to here: courts have begun to overturn decisions on the "Valley scheme"

But it's too early to talk about a complete change in the practice of cases involving "grandmother's" apartments, lawyers believe.

In December 2025, Aksakov told Izvestia that the cooling-off period aimed at combating the fraudulent "Valley scheme" could be extended to transactions with cars, land and other large facilities. Aksakov added that similar rules may be applied in the future to transactions of legal entities, where fraud risks also often arise.

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