Desperate appeal to Putin for help: more and more heaters fail in Russia Report on alleged negotiations on the release of hostages – the night update

They dressed warmly and lined up on the steps of their house. The mailboxes can be seen on the right and the greenish wall at the back. When they talk, clouds of mist come out of their mouths. It is cold in Voskresensk, almost 80 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

It is colder than it has been in over forty years. For all of Russia, meteorologists report abnormal cold for January, on average up to 15 degrees colder than normal at this time of year. In Moscow and the Moscow area it is currently between minus 20 and minus 30 degrees. This brings the infrastructure to the brink of failure, and its deterioration is visible in almost ten regions of the country: water pipes burst, heaters remain cold and electricity goes out.

In some apartments the gas does not work either. People walk home in thick coats and hats and light a fire in front of the front door. The stairwells are full of layers of ice, volunteers hand out feather beds and bring something warm to eat. Some, where there is heating in the apartment, provide sleeping places for people in need. Schools close, hospitals turn on their generators. The calls for help are increasing on social networks, similar to those from Voskresensk near Moscow.

“It’s 6 degrees in my bedroom,” grumbles an older woman, initially in front of her entire house, fourteen floors higher. “We don’t live, we exist. We’re freezing to death! Check us out! Do something! We have kids who get sick! We’re getting sick! Our cats and dogs are shaking! We are told everything is under control. But nothing is done. Help us! Vladimir Vladimirovich, look, things are only getting worse!’

And lo and behold, the Russian president is tackling the problem of icy apartments – in a very public way, of course. Governors of the relevant regions must submit their reports to him, Putin promises improvement, the next day on state television you can see how the boilers start up again, and how the investigative committee calls the supervisors of the heating plants and the deputy governors of the regions for questioning.

Bad timing, the elections are just around the corner

Putin generally does not like to worry about ‘minor’ matters, leaving issues of supply, infrastructure and high prices to his government. He likes to portray himself as the great foreign politician who saves the country from evil enemies around it. What are cold heaters? But in March he wants to be confirmed in office for the sixth time with strong popular support.

Things are going badly when the population is trembling and dissatisfied and denouncing ‘arbitrary rule’, especially so close to Moscow. It is mainly the people in the cities around the capital who are frozen during the New Year holidays – in Russia they lasted until January 9. A heat pipe near Podolsk, south of Moscow, ruptured in early January and could not be repaired for several days. The same photos came from Novosibirsk.

But also in Chelyabinsk on the Urals, in Rostov-on-Don on the Russian-Ukrainian border, in Volgograd, the former Stalingrad, people were without heating, without hot water and some without electricity.

The problem of dilapidated infrastructure dates back to the Soviet era. The iron pipes, affected by corrosion, are gradually being replaced by more robust plastic pipes, but too slowly. “It is impossible to renew everything in twenty years,” the Kremlin itself says. The capital is also growing rapidly. New residential areas, shopping centers and stadiums are being built on the outskirts. They are connected to old pipes and electricity grids.

These cannot withstand the load at low temperatures and will crack. When electrical appliances are turned on to provide heat to homes – especially during the holidays, when most people stay at home – the electricity grid quickly collapses. “We want warmth!” shout the inhabitants of Voskresensk, uttering their cry for help in one go. ‘We are afraid for our lives! It’s unbearable!” (bzbasel.ch)