Two teachers in St. Petersburg are embroiled in a bitter neighborly dispute, drawing in the police, the education committee, and the commissioner for children’s rights. The conflict centers around noise complaints, with one neighbor claiming the use of an “anti-neighbor” device and the other denying it, while admitting to having called the police twice due to excessive noise from the apartment above.

Alexandra, a teacher, says the problems began immediately after moving into her new apartment in December 2022. According to Alexandra, the downstairs neighbor, also a teacher, started complaining about noise levels, including walking, flushing the toilet, and moving dishes. The situation escalated, with the neighbor allegedly making threats and the children being restricted from normal activities like playing. Alexandra claims the neighbor later started using an “anti-neighbor” device that emits unpleasant sounds into her apartment.

The neighbor denies using any such device and accuses Alexandra of harassment, claiming she has filed complaints with her employer and spread false information about her family. She maintains that she only requested compliance with the law on silence and that the family upstairs makes excessive noise at early hours, including moving furniture, throwing heavy toys, and riding scooters. She claims she has called the police several times due to the noise.

Both women acknowledge the presence of another noisy neighbor in the building who plays loud music, but neither has confronted him. The St. Petersburg law on silence, adopted in 2013, addresses noise from repair work and loud music, but the current dispute highlights the difficulties in regulating everyday sounds within apartment buildings.