Half of Russia is grappling with heating, water and power outages in widespread utility crisis

A collapse in the housing and utilities system has struck half of the regions in Russia.

Source: The Moscow Times

Municipal emergencies have affected at least 43 regions, leaving hundreds of thousands of Russian residents without heating, water, electricity and gas.

The largest incident occurred in Podolsk near Moscow, where 20,000 people were left without heating in -30°C temperatures. Even nearly two weeks after the incident, the local authorities have not been able to fully restore the heat supply. 

In Novosibirsk, an emergency left 14,000 people in 237 buildings without heating, and in Lipetsk, 10,000 people in 282 buildings were affected.

Significant emergencies have also been reported in Saratov, where heating was turned off in over 650 buildings and 100 social facilities, including schools and hospitals; Volgograd, where tens of thousands of people were left without heating; and Nakhodka, where 6,000 people faced the same issue.

Yet despite critical wear and tear and a series of emergencies, the Russian government is planning drastic reductions in spending on housing and utility infrastructure.

The Russian federal budget for 2024-2026 indicates that funding for the housing and utilities sector will be cut by more than half.

The budget law contains harsh cuts in housing and utilities spending from 2025, when it is set to be reduced by 43% to RUB 506 billion. In 2026, it will be reduced by a further 25% to RUB 381 billion. Thus, over three years, the housing and utilities budget funded by the federal treasury will shrink by 2.3 times to a six-year low.

Yet at the same time, the Moscow Times reports, the Russian government's data indicates that the wear and tear of communal infrastructure in Russia, including heating, water supply and sewerage, had exceeded 70% by mid-2022.

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