On September 26, the Russian Parliament approved in its first reading a bill to rename three settlements in Chechnya, based on an initiative submitted by the Chechen Parliament. According to the proposal, Sernovodskoe would be renamed Sernovodsk, Shelkovskaya would become Terek, and Naurskaya would be Nevre. Explanatory documents stated that the new names reflected geographical features and complied with Russian language norms.

The bill was presented by Shamsail Saraliev, a Russian MP from Chechnya, who argued that feminine-form toponyms were inconsistent with the status of urban-type settlements. He explained that "the name Nevre in Chechen translates as 'north' and reflects the geographical location of the town in the northern part of the republic. Terek is directly connected with the settlement’s location on the left bank of the river of the same name. Sernovodsk complies with the rules of the Russian language and fits harmoniously into modern orthography." Saraliev added that the Turkic name "Naur," from which Naurskaya derived, meant "lake, swampy area," and was no longer appropriate for an urban-type settlement with prospects for development.

Vladimir Shamanov, an MP and former commander of the 58th Army that fought in Chechnya, stated, "They propose to rename Cossack villages that have historical names. Not only was the Russian-speaking population first expelled, but now you erase the names as well. This is the history of our state. What are you doing, I ask you?!" Parliamentary records showed that four MPs voted against renaming Sernovodskoe, six against changing Shelkovskaya, and five against altering Naurskaya, with some abstentions, though the majority supported the Chechen authorities’ proposal. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of Chechnya, congratulated the region’s residents, describing the renaming as a step of "significant importance for preserving cultural identity as well as for the further development of the towns."