Quote:On the same day the temperature reached -21 degrees Celsius outside, Kazimir Belev's heating stopped working.
It's been patchy in the past, but this time, things are different.
It's not just his apartment or his building that's affected.
"It turned out that the problem is much bigger than in previous cases," the 31-year-old said.
"Two large districts of the city with a population of over a million people were left without heating."
[...]
As temperatures plunge, Russia's aging patchwork of central heating systems is a major concern.
In some cases, entire cities rely on one Soviet-era boiler plant to stay warm.
[...]
The rumblings come at an inconvenient time for the Russian president, who is preparing for an election in March.
While the result is considered a foregone conclusion — allegations of electoral fraud have accompanied Putin's previous victories — any insinuation the country is crumbling will be unwelcome at the Kremlin, which has diverted significant public funds to prop up its invasion of Ukraine.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-21/f.../103323062
