‘The development of Sverdlovsk Region’s housing maintenance and utilities services is still being hindered by the painstakingly sluggish payment of housing bills by the local population. In fact, people have grown so careless that their debts come to something between 1 billion and 1.7 billion RUR a month. We’ve tried to get tougher with the non-payers, yet they still owe the services 7.8 billion RUR altogether,’ Sverdlovsk Region’s Deputy Minister for Construction and Housing Maintenance and Utilities Bogdan Protsyk said at the regional cabinet meeting.

Mr. Protsyk claimed the region’s facilities were fully prepared for the winter season. Yet Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government Viktor Koksharov said he felt it was too early to speak of readiness, since some parts of the region (such as the settlement of Bulanash) were not properly provided with heat or hot water.