Nearly 70,000 Russian elevators face shutdown by 2030

Nearly 70,000 elevators in Russian cities have exceeded their service life and now need replacement or repair, warned Russia«s Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Irek Faizullin.

According to him, the elevators« operation has been extended, but only for four years. After that, everything could come to a halt.

«We have almost 70,000 elevators that have completed their service life. We have extended them until 2030. But if by 2030 these elevators are not replaced or modernized, and capital repairs are not carried out, these elevators will not work,» the minister said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television channel.

The minister stressed that solving the problem will require coordinated work from regions, municipalities, and specialized organizations. Particular difficulties arise in buildings where residents manage the property themselves: there it is sometimes difficult to agree on the necessary measures.

Note that in 2026, Russian cities plan to replace 19,000 elevators. Irek Faizullin announced this at one of the meetings with regions and main budget appropriators. In 2025, Russia replaced about 16,000–17,000 elevators.

In addition, the minister noted that 36 regions have taken advantage of a special support measure: they were written off two-thirds of the debt on budget loans allocated for elevator replacement.