Vladivostok's Municipal Management Model to Expand Across Primorye

Authorities in Primorye Territory intend to scale up the practice of municipal management companies to all cities and districts in the region. This was stated by Governor Oleg Kozhemyako during the broadcast of the program «Pryamoy Razgovor» (6+), emphasizing that the state cannot abdicate its social responsibility in the housing and utilities sector, especially where private management companies are failing to fulfill their duties.

According to the head of the region, municipal management companies are already operating in Vladivostok and Lesozavodsk, and this experience has been recognized as in demand. In the near future, similar structures should appear in other municipalities of Primorye. Oleg Kozhemyako gave corresponding instructions to the heads of cities and districts in the territory.

The reason for a detailed discussion of housing and utilities issues was numerous complaints from residents of the Snegovaya Pad microdistrict in Vladivostok. During a direct line, Primorye residents reported problems with heating in houses No. 2 on Admiral Smirnov Street, as well as Nos. 44 and 46 on Admiral Gorshkov Street. According to residents, the temperature in apartments during the peak of the heating season dropped to 15 degrees Celsius (59°F).

Due to the fact that the private management company «Razvitiye» failed to ensure stable operation of the heating system in these houses, the authorities decided to transfer the problematic housing stock to the management of a municipal management company.

Vladivostok Mayor Konstantin Shestakov reported that emergency measures are already being taken to quickly normalize the temperature regime in the houses.

«To stabilize heating, using funds from the reserve fund, circulation pumps will be delivered there, which will increase pressure and ensure heat supply to the upper floors,» clarified the city head, noting that specialists previously replaced heating units in houses on streets Anna Shchetinina, 27, 30, 15, and 19.

Speaking generally about the approach to managing the utility sector, Konstantin Shestakov noted that municipal enterprises fundamentally differ from private structures.

«We made a conscious decision — to strengthen municipal companies. This applies to VPES, public transport, and the municipal management company. They work and perform a social function without looking back at profit,» emphasized the mayor.

A particularly tough and detailed position on the situation in the housing and utilities sector was outlined by Governor Oleg Kozhemyako, admitting that he has personal professional experience on this issue.

«In 1982, I worked as a master of heating networks in Luchegorsk,» he noted, explaining that previously, responsibility for buildings was clearly divided and understood.

During the live broadcast, he reminded that initially, management companies were conceived as structures capable of comprehensively solving all domestic issues of residents — essentially, following the model of Soviet housing maintenance offices (ZhEKs). However, in practice, this mechanism has failed in many cases.

«When management companies appeared, they started collecting money from the population. And, unfortunately, not every company directed these funds to decent wages for specialists, repair of internal networks, cleaning of entrances and adjacent areas. As a result, in critical situations — frosts, snowfalls, accidents — people are left alone with their problems,» noted the head of the region.

The governor drew attention to the so-called «ping-pong» of responsibility, when residents are fruitlessly redirected from the management company to the municipality and back. According to him, references to the fact that residents themselves chose the management company and must re-elect it on their own do not work in real life.

«Well, who will they re-elect? People are at work, pensioners are at home, where should they go? This is a challenge that we must solve,» emphasized Kozhemyako.

In this regard, he set the task of developing municipal management companies as a systemic solution to the problem. Despite the fact that the housing inspection issued more than 300 warnings to private management companies in 2025 alone, this was not enough to bring order.

Oleg Kozhemyako also proposed a specific model for the operation of municipal management companies — with phased repairs of entrances and a subsidization system, where more support is given to those companies that direct funds specifically to repair and maintenance of buildings, not just administrative expenses. A similar approach, according to the governor, was successfully used by him earlier on Sakhalin.

«Yes, it is costly. Yes, it will require budget funding. But the well-being of residents — this is the main task of the municipality,» summarized the head of Primorye.

Earlier we wrote that the head of Primorye, Oleg Kozhemyako, stated during the broadcast of the program «Pryamoy Razgovor» (6+) that thousands of residents of Partizansk were left for several days without access to clean cold water in their own homes due to the fault of the company «Delta». It was decided to take back the houses and transfer them to the balance of the municipality or the territory.