Residents of Kotovo complained about the lack of gas during freezing temperatures.

In the district center of Kotovo in the Volgograd region, gas supplies were shut off in neighborhoods during severe frosts. This is a particularly acute problem for residents of the private sector whose homes are heated by boilers.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," residents of Kotovo have repeatedly complained about problems with the water supply and heating, citing the severe deterioration of the city's networks, frequent accidents, and the authorities' refusal to modernize the water supply system. Thus, on the night of January 1, 2026, water, heat, and mobile phone services were again cut off in the district center.

In the evening (starting at 4:00 PM Moscow time) on January 17, residents of Kotovo began reporting gas outages and a significant drop in gas pressure reaching their apartments. A "Caucasian Knot" correspondent received numerous complaints from residents of the Serino neighborhood (Baumanskaya, Mira, Michurin, Angarskaya, Zelenaya, Verkhnyaya Streets, and partly on Shevchenko Street). In Kotovtsev's apartments, gas supply has either been completely lost or the gas pressure has been reduced so much that "the water heaters are shutting off." On Sverdlova Street, "heat has disappeared" in apartments "for an unknown reason."

Andrey Khanbekov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his wife's parents live on Sverdlova Street. They complained of cold radiators in the afternoon. According to the pensioners, the air temperature in their apartment dropped to 17 degrees Celsius within three hours. Their electric heater is broken.

"If the heating isn't turned on by morning, we'll have to 'evacuate' them to Kamyshin. They're both disabled. They can't survive in the cold. It's definitely minus 20 degrees outside in Kotovo. It's unclear what's happened to the heating system," Andrey complained.

Andrey Ivanov said his mother-in-law also lives on Sverdlova Street, but her apartment is warm. There's no gas in Ivanov's house, which he lives in a private sector neighborhood in Serino.

"The gas pressure started dropping during the day. By evening, the gas had completely disappeared. Clearly, the boiler isn't working. There's no heat. We turned on two space heaters—one in the living room, the other in the children's bedroom. For now, we're keeping the house warm. We're cooking on an electric stove. We have an electric kettle. We're surviving. My wife called the dispatch center. They told her the emergency services had arrived. They're looking for the cause of the gas outage. Maybe someone did a bad connection. But that's my guess," Andrey told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The color of the burning gas is strange, unnatural. It's freezing outside. If there's no gas, those with boilers will start freezing by morning.

Elena Ponomareva, who lives on Mira Street, also reported problems with the gas supply to her building.

"There seems to be gas. But the pressure is low. The color of the burning gas is strange, unnatural. It's freezing outside. If there's no gas, those with boilers will start freezing by morning. We're using electric heaters for now. But if the power goes out, like we recently did, what will we do?" the woman asked indignantly. Later, Elena reported that gas had started flowing into the apartments of the residents of Kotov. Thus, by 6:00 PM Moscow time, gas supply was restored to the houses on Baumanskaya Street.

"We need to somehow warn residents to remember to turn off the gas valves on their stoves. Otherwise, if the gas starts flowing and the burners are open, an explosion could occur," the woman told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

There's no gas. There's no heat. I don't have an electric heater either.

A pensioner who identified himself as Ivan Grigorievich lives alone in an apartment in the Serino neighborhood. His children live in Volgograd.

"I can barely move. It's cold at home. I'm wearing felt boots. There's no gas. There's no heat. I don't have an electric heater either. I have to go to the garage to get one. And here it's so cold outside that a good owner wouldn't let his dog out. I'm sitting here watching TV. I'm enduring it. Here in Kotovo, we're a veritable city of utility cataclysms. Either the power goes out, or we're without water. Now, there's the gas," the pensioner complained.

Residents of Kotovo also complained about widespread outages of landline and mobile internet. Residents of VLKSM, Pobeda, Sverdlova, Chernyshevskogo, and Razina streets report huge, three-meter-long icicles hanging from the roofs of apartment buildings. Residents of Kotov also complain that utility services are failing to clear the streets of snow after heavy snowfalls.

"A prolonged gas outage in winter, especially during severe cold, can have serious consequences for those responsible, as public safety may be at stake," lawyer Sergey Ivaschenko told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. In doing so, he cited the provisions of the Federal Law "On Gas Supply in the Russian Federation" (No. 69-FZ of March 31, 1999).

The liability of the guilty parties may vary - from criminal liability under articles on arbitrary action, abuse, or negligence to administrative penalties, for example, for violations of competition law, etc.

"The investigator or prosecutor will determine the types of penalties if the case leads to a serious investigation. However, in matters of gas supply, disconnections very rarely lead to such investigations. Incidents are usually quickly resolved by emergency repair crews," the lawyer explained.

Sergey Ivashchenko named three possible reasons for gas supply disconnections - large debts for service provision, improper operation of gas equipment, and accidents and breakdowns of gas equipment.

"In the case of Kotovo today, the cause of the disconnection is most likely an accident. If "If it isn't quickly resolved, and a third of the city will freeze, with serious consequences for the population, I advise affected consumers to first file complaints with the prosecutor's office and the city administration. If the prosecutor's office's investigation and the officials' responses don't satisfy the complainants, I suggest they file a claim in the district court. Copies of contracts with the gas supplier, gas payment receipts, gas disconnection notices, reconciliation reports, and responses to complaints to regulatory authorities and the city administration must be attached to the claims," Sergei Ivaschenko advised the affected city residents.

"However, I think the gas supply problem in Kotovo will be resolved quickly," the lawyer suggested.

A dispatcher for the gas supplier in Kotovo informed consumers that an emergency team had arrived and was working to restore the gas supply. Gas has begun flowing to homes in Kotovo.