russia’s Regions Facing a Cold Winter Due to the Authorities’ Systemic Indifference

Despite official reports on a “stable start” to the heating season, russia is entering winter with cold radiators and empty promises. In many regions, the heating system is operating intermittently or has not been started at all.

The wear and tear of russian heating networks has reached an average of 40 %, and in some regions – more than 80 %. There is no investment in municipal infrastructure, and tariff increases are not accompanied by any improvements. In the summer, entire cities were left without water, while in the winter, dozens of regions are at risk of not receiving heat.

In the village of Vysokogorny in the Khabarovsk Territory, the heating season was disrupted because the boiler room burned down back in February. In Tomsk, officials reported that almost all houses had been connected, but the City Council’s social media accounts were flooded with complaints — the real situation turned out to be much worse.

Similar stories are repeated across the country. In Omsk, the authorities announced “100% turning on” on October 11, but people continue to freeze. In villages, there is low water pressure, pipe bursts, and broken boilers. In Birobidzhan, residents were blamed for freezing: they allegedly did not bleed the air from the radiators and did not let the utility workers in.

russia is entering the cold season with the same problems as in previous years: old pipes, chronic underfunding, and the officials’not caring. The only difference is that this time, the price may be not-insubstantial for millions of households.