Russian politicians are acutely aware that they are seen as backwards and want to update the place so that their people feel like they aren't back in the Soviet Union, which does not have a good reputation contrary to what a lot of people here think.
Look closely and you'll see one hilarious leftover from Soviet days: central heating ducts going through town. In most small Russian towns steam heat is centrally produced and distributed still. It can't be efficient because the pipes are typically uninsulated, at least the ones I've seen. I dunno...maybe I'm wrong, but gas heat is confined to the bigger cities and a lot of the time they use gas heaters to heat...the steam.
Guess they feel like selling gas to Europe or China is a better deal. That's one bit of modernization they haven't done: have decentralized heating in residences. This says it's hot water but that would be surprising to me...
The newer Russian condos/townhomes/SFD's are relatively expensive and modern, as well as well built; the older Soviet apartments in most towns are run down, ancient and ugly but can be free for Russians or rented for next to nothing. Suspect this new stuff in the Russian Far East costs some roubles to rent, but not a lot: the government wants to keep workers there where the resources are.
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