Over Half a Million People in Russia’s Far East Left Without Water

Sep. 28, 2026 A truck distributes water in Vladivostok. Yana Gaiduk / PrimaMedia News Agency A major utility outage has cut off running water to more than 650,000 people in the Far Eastern Primorsky region, local emergency officials said Monday. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said the outage was caused by an equipment failure at a power substation in the village of Shtykovo, where more than 1,000 people were left without electricity. The failure cut power to regional pumping stations, causing water to stop flowing at thousands of homes, apartments and public buildings, including schools and hospitals, in the regional capital of Vladivostok, officials said. Technical crews have begun setting up backup generators. Repairs were underway at the power substation in Shtykovo, the regional utilities ministry said, adding that water trucks were being deployed in parts of Vladivostok. “If possible, stock up on enough drinking water,” the ministry said in a statement. Officials said they expected repairs to finish later on Monday. Utilities outages are common across Russia. Authorities estimate that wear and tear on utility networks ranges from 40% to 80% depending on the region. Read more about: Regions , Primorye , Utilities , Far East Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. 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. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more 3 Workers Fall to Their Deaths During Repair Work at Vladivostok Power Plant While police said the workers had died from falling, a source told local media that the men had died after construction material crushed them. 1 Min read Explosions Rock Site of Russian Navy Drills in Far East Anti-terrorism authorities said they “neutralized” a threat in an area near the city of Vladivostok but did not provide further details. 1 Min read Rare Siberian Tiger Kills Park Ranger in Far East Russia The attack is at least the third fatal mauling by a tiger in the Far East this winter, media reported. 2 Min read Major Power Outage Hits Far East Russia The Far Eastern Distribution Grid Company DRSK said the outages were linked to “equipment failure” at one of the units of the Primorskaya thermal power... 1 Min read