Criminal case filed for power outages near Yaroslavl
Power outages in Shchedrino village have led to a criminal investigation by the Russian Investigative Committee.
In Yaroslavl Oblast, a criminal case has been opened over electricity problems in the village of Shchedrino. As clarified by 76.RU in the regional investigative committee, the investigation is being conducted under Part 1 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (providing services that do not meet safety requirements for the life and health of consumers).
Recall that on January 23 and 24, 2026, during frost, residents of Shchedrino village were left without electricity.
«Electricity was cut off from 03:30 to 11:30 on January 23, and on January 24 from about 07:30 in the morning it was switched off and on all day. Power supply was fully restored by 18:00–18:30. On that day, I woke up from the cold in the apartment, as it was −20 degrees Celsius (−4°F) outside,» a resident of Shchedrino village told 76.RU.
On January 24, the head of Yaroslavl Municipal District, Alexei Mikhailov, reported citing «Rosseti» that the power outages occurred due to a disconnection at the main substation «Shchedrino». During repair work, electricity was supplied to the village from a generator. Similar problems were observed in other settlements of Yaroslavl District, including in Karabikhskoye Rural Settlement and Nagorny village. By 18:00 on January 24, Alexei Mikhailov reported the full restoration of power supply in Yaroslavl District.
The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, took control of this criminal case.
«For several years, due to the inadequate condition of utility networks, the vital resource is supplied to apartment buildings and private houses with interruptions, leading to the failure of water supply and heating systems. Since January of this year, the temperature regime in residential premises again does not meet established standards. Appeals to various authorities have not brought results, and no measures are being taken to modernize the networks and resolve the problem,» the press service of the federal agency reported.
