Makarskys Perform in Felt Boots and Hats at -20°C

In Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, artists Anton and Victoria Makarsky had to perform in the icy hall of the Vympel Palace of Culture. The performance nearly fell through due to a utility emergency. The building, like the entire Severny microdistrict, had no heating on 31 January. The Makarskys shared this on their social media.

«We will never forget this live concert in our lives!» they wrote.

In an interview with 76.RU, Victoria Makarsky shared that they only learned about the heating network accident and lack of heating at the Palace of Culture when they arrived at the venue. At the time, it was -20°C (-4°F) outside.

«Our administrator Oksana immediately did everything possible. She gathered all the warm clothes. Somewhere in the props she found Father Frost«s red felt boots. We had to bundle up,» Victoria Makarsky told 76.RU.

The team never even considered postponing the concert. The musicians came out to the audience in Rybinsk wearing hats. Victoria wore several pairs of tights under her dress, and red felt boots replaced her shoes.

«The audience also sat in the hall in their outerwear. We were sure the audience wouldn«t come, because the heating was turned off in the entire district and the Palace of Culture was very cold. But the audience, thank God, all came. And no one left; our concert lasted even longer than usual — more than two hours. The concert was incredibly joyful,» Victoria said.

However, the adventures did not end there.

«All the audience noted that an icy air and cold were coming from the stage. We couldn«t understand where from. Later, after the concert, it turned out that the cold air blower had been turned on instead of the warm one,» Victoria shared.

Due to the cold, the equipment shut down in the second half of the concert. For a while, the artists had to sing a cappella. After a reboot, the equipment finally worked again. There were many circumstances hindering the concert, but Victoria notes that everything went wonderfully.

«I love Rybinsk very much — it«s a special city, with very intelligent people. They know their music. The concert felt like we were at home. As if friends and relatives came to us. It was great,» the singer shared.

Why the Palace of Culture Had No Heating

As 76.RU was told at the Vympel Palace of Culture, heating problems in the building have been recorded for a long time.

«We have a reduced supply schedule from the boiler house. I cannot say what it is connected to. We have centralized heating. Since the start of the heating season, there have been problems throughout the Severny microdistrict where we are located,» reported the Palace of Culture.

According to the company Teploresurs Rybinsk (a heat supply company), the heating problems in Rybinsk began due to a leak on 30 January. It was detected around 20:00 in a thermal chamber between houses No. 3 and 5 on Liza Chaikina Street.

«The inspection revealed multiple defects on pipelines with a diameter of 200 to 400 mm. This situation is caused by critical wear and dilapidation of the distribution networks in this section,» clarified Teploresurs Rybinsk.

At the same time, the company noted that they could not fix the accident on the weekend due to frosts below -20°C (-4°F), because the temperature of the heat carrier was raised above 100°C (212°F). Working with such steam in a closed chamber is dangerous for personnel.

«In the Severny microdistrict, houses with top distribution prevail. In conditions of severe cold, a complete stop of circulation even for two hours would lead to freezing of in-house systems. Repairs of this scale require significantly more time,» added the utility workers.

On the morning of 2 February, the company reported that they had begun eliminating the accident in Severny.

«Specialists of the emergency crew performed a technical shutdown of the network section on Liza Chaikina Street and opened the thermal chamber. <…> At the moment, the presence of two defects has been confirmed, but the final assessment of the pipeline condition and determination of the full scope of necessary work will be possible only after the completion of pumping out the heat carrier and draining the section,» clarified Teploresurs Rybinsk.

The Problem Has Been Ongoing for Years

According to the production and technical division of Yaroblvodokanal (Yaroslavl Regional Water Utility) as of 1 February, more than 30 houses in Rybinsk remained without heating. Local residents have been complaining about heating problems for years, while authorities explain the issue by the dilapidation of pipes in the city.

In 2019, a concession agreement was signed between MUP Teploenergo (Municipal Unitary Enterprise Teploenergo) and OOO Rybinsk Generation (Limited Liability Company Rybinsk Generation), a subsidiary of AO TGK-2 (Joint-Stock Company Territorial Generating Company No. 2, TGK-2). Under the contract, Rybinsk«s boiler houses and heating networks were to be transferred to Rybinsk Generation for 20 years. The company promised to invest in the reconstruction of facilities, pay off debts, and later receive income from the sale and supply of heat energy. All this led to the initiation of a criminal case, whose defendants included a deputy, the former first deputy head of Rybinsk, and the son of a Yaroslavl region deputy.

At the end of 2021, residents of Rybinsk were left without heating for several days. Former city mayor Denis Dobryakov reported the convening of an emergency commission due to the heating situation. In 2022, Rybinsk residents appealed to Governor Mikhail Evraev with a complaint that because of the cold they had to sleep dressed. And in 2023, during the January frosts, a serious accident occurred on the heating networks on Plekhanov Street.