Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Marat Khusnullin stated that the wear and tear of housing and communal services systems in some Russian regions has reached 50%. Speaking at the “There’s a Result!” forum of the “United Russia” party, he emphasized that problems with utilities will inevitably have to be addressed, as they have been accumulating for decades. “In some cases, the cause was mismanagement, in others – incorrect tariff policy, incorrect owners – there are different situations in different regions,” explained Khusnullin (quoted by “Kommersant”).
He noted that infrastructure wears out faster than it is updated, and warned: “If we don’t address the problems with utilities, they will address them for us.” The situation, according to Khusnullin, is exacerbated by the fact that about 30% of industry enterprises are currently unprofitable. The deputy prime minister also called for “leveling out” tariffs, pointing out that in some places they are too high, while in others they have not been indexed for years (The Moscow Times).
