January 09, 2024

A Freezing Winter


A Freezing Winter
Moskva River. Moscow, Russia. Vyacheslav Argenberg, Wikimedia Commons

A series of accidents at facilities in Moscow and surrounding areas have left thousands of Russians without heat. Meanwhile, temperatures outside have plummeted to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit).

In Moscow, over 20 buildings were left without heat due to a fire. Meanwhile, in Moscow Oblast, an a heating pipeline accident in the Podolsk District left 173 building, housing approximately 21,000 persons, without heat. Burst pipes in entrances led to temperatures inside apartments as low as 13 to 15 degrees Celsius (55 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit). According to Mash, at a Podolsk hospital patients had to be warmed with special heat guns.

Several other cities in the Moscow Oblast, including Khimki, Balashikha, Solnechnogorsk, Lyubertsy, and Elektrostal, also experienced heating failures due to utilities accidents.

Solnechnogorsk faced heating and electricity problems as early as October of last year. In the Vystrel District, many apartments recorded temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), leading to mold formation on walls. In December, residents made an appeal to President Vladimir Putin, with one resident saying via video message, "We will soon freeze from the cold like during the Siege of Leningrad."

Heating issues have occurred in other parts of Russia as well. In mid-December, residents of Samara, a major city on the Volga, reported freezing temperatures in some buildings. Similarly, residents of Omsk, one of the largest cities in Siberia, and Chita, the capital of the Zabaykalsky Krai, highlighted problems with heating and infrastructure. A particularly severe case occurred in December, in Khakassia, where temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit), coupled with heating and electricity problems, prompted the declaration of a state of emergency in several villages. Residents of the town of Kalinino sought refuge in the local airport building.

You Might Also Like

A Snowy Protest
  • December 21, 2023

A Snowy Protest

After a week of heavy snow, Voronezh locals painted snowdrifts with calls for the local government to finally remove them.
Occupation Is Expensive
  • December 03, 2023

Occupation Is Expensive

An independent Russian news outlet reported that Russia is worse off economically because of its actions in Ukraine since 2013.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955