Half of Russia left without gas, water and electricity due to accidents - Moscow Times
Utility failures have occurred in at least 43 Russian regions, leaving hundreds of thousands of Russians without heat, electricity, water and gas.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by The Moscow Times.
Thus, the largest accident occurred in Podolsk near Moscow, where 20,000 people were left without heating in 30-degree temperatures. The local authorities were unable to fully restore heat supply even almost two weeks after the incident, although the issue was raised with Putin.
In Novosibirsk, the accident left 14,000 people in 237 buildings without heat, and in Lipetsk, 10,000 people in 282 buildings. Major accidents were also reported in Saratov, where heating was cut off in more than 650 homes and 100 social facilities, including schools and hospitals, in Volgograd, where tens of thousands of people were left without heat, and in Nakhodka, where 6,000 people faced the same problem.
The latest major utility failure occurred on 14 January in Novomoskovsk, Tula Region. Heat was cut off to 372 houses there.
A total of 94 accidents were recorded in Russia between 1 December and 15 January, according to the Russian media. This is 29% more than in the same period last year. It is noted that despite this, the Russian authorities are planning a radical reduction in spending on housing and communal infrastructure. According to the budget for 2024-2026, funding for the housing and utilities sector from the federal treasury will be cut by more than half.
According to Sergey Pakhomov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction, Housing, and Utilities, the deterioration of Russia's utility infrastructure networks, including heat and water supply and sewage, exceeded 70% by mid-2022.
