In Mariupol, the occupiers sharply raised tariffs for heating and water supply: residents now receive water only every two days, and heating is becoming more expensive.
The information was posted on the Mariupol City Council’s Telegram channel, where an official city government statement was published.
“The occupation authorities of the so-called ‘DPR’ announced new tariffs for utilities. The occupiers explain their actions by the rise of the VAT rate in Russia from 20% to 22%, which, they say, caused the rise in tariffs for housing and communal services by 1.7%.”
– Mariupol City Council
Impact on water supply and the housing stock
According to the city council, the water-supply tariff has risen by almost 97% compared with January 1, 2025. Water supply now lasts only a few hours every two days, and many buildings are left without it for weeks. Residents are forced to take radical steps – draining water from the heating pipes, which causes apartments to lose heat.
“The increase in heating is about +292%: it was ~12.51 ₽/m²/month, now 49.08 ₽/m²/month (+36.57 ₽)”
– Mariupol City Council
The occupiers call this part of a broader “strategy of gradually bringing tariffs to an economically justified level.” However, experts and local residents view such steps as shifting the financial burden from the Russian Federation to the population of temporarily occupied territories.
The materials also note that the boiler houses in Mariupol frequently break down due to the lack of funds for repairs, and the heating networks require modernization.
They also report problems with water supply in regions where, due to low reservoir levels at pumping stations, water supply has been reduced as a result of destabilization of infrastructure.