July 27, 2025

Street Sweepers under Surveillance


Street Sweepers under Surveillance
Bringing cleaning to light. Paul Richardson (Spine of Russia Project)

St. Petersburg city workers will be put under closer surveillance to make sure the city stays sparkling.

A new city ordnance has installed more than 100,000 cameras to keep an eye on utility workers, street sweepers and snow clearers. The cameras send video to a municipal control center, where city government can monitor the workers' progress. Managers can also keep track using an app, where they receive a notification once a cleaning is completed.

The new measures were introduced in an effort to ensure workers are doing their duties. City officials cite instances where photos were faked to make it appear that the work was completed. Snow or garbage could be removed with simple photo editing software, and leadership were concerned that cleaners were only working for the camera.

Now, however, the new monitoring system and control center promise a much higher standard of thorough cleanliness. And Russia has never shied away from surveillance in the past.

 

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