There are still more than 104,000 communal apartments in St. Petersburg, with residents of 750 flats being relocated this year at a cost of 1 billion rubles ($33 million), the city's governor Georgy Poltavchenko said Tuesday.
Last year, half that amount of money was spent to move a greater number of communal flat residents to new quarters, Poltavchenko said at a meeting of the city legislature, Interfax reported.
"If this trend continues, communal apartments could stick around until the 22nd century," Poltavchenko said.
As explanation for the slow pace of relocating residents of the flats — holdovers from the Soviet period, when multiple families often shared apartments due to insufficient housing — Poltavchenko cited the poor quality of the remaining communal flats, making them unattractive to investors, and the high cost of building new residential properties.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
