Over 85,000 Russians left without heat in Saratov amid -10°C frost
A technical incident at CHPP-5 in Saratov caused a complete shutdown of heating and hot water supply to 573 apartment buildings and 44 social facilities in the city, according to The Moscow Times.
The local prosecutor’s office reported that the accident occurred on the morning of December 25, 2025, affecting three major districts — Leninsky, Kirovsky, and Frunzensky. The situation is worsened by severe weather conditions, with temperatures dropping to -10°C, creating a risk of frozen internal plumbing systems.
Representatives of the company T Plus, which operates the facility, said the energy equipment was restored only after five hours of repair work. However, residents remain in cold homes. The utility company explained the delay as necessary to gradually heat the water to avoid new ruptures in the aging heat network due to sudden pressure and temperature changes. Meanwhile, local authorities, including Governor Roman Busargin and the city mayor, have refrained from publicly commenting on the scale of the disaster on official channels.
Law enforcement has launched an investigation into the actions of municipal services and is considering adjustments to service fees for thousands of affected residents. Despite reports of the CHPP resuming operations, Saratov residents are widely complaining on social media about persistent low temperatures in their apartments. Such incidents during critical winter periods highlight the deep crisis in Russia’s housing and utilities sector, where infrastructure cannot withstand even moderate frosts.
On December 10, an incident at CHPP Luch in Belgorod caused power outages in several districts of the city.
