Yekaterinburg residents suffer as management firms owe millions

Management companies linked to Viktor Starokozhev have accumulated millions in electricity debts, forcing the supplier to sign direct contracts with consumers.

Apr 26, 2026

Residents of affected buildings must independently submit electricity meter readings to avoid sanctions.
Source:
Artem Ustyuzhanin / E1.RU

Residents of several apartment buildings in Yekaterinburg found themselves in a difficult situation due to the actions of their management companies, which are linked to utility entrepreneur Viktor Starokozhev. Two organizations — OOO UK ZhK Admiralksky and OOO UKIKO — stopped paying for consumed electricity. As a result, the resource supplier, the company Yekaterinburgenergosbyt, decided to sign direct contracts with apartment owners. As warned by the Sverdlovsk Regional Energy Commission (REC), consumers need to independently submit readings from individual meters before March 1. Otherwise, they will face sanctions provided by law. The list of affected properties includes both the elite residential complex Admiralksky and an architectural monument — the merchant Ryazanov estate (Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast), where people still live. The founder of OOO UK ZhK Admiralksky is OOO Delo, which belongs to Viktor Starokozhev«s wife. The entrepreneur himself was detained by law enforcement agencies in August 2025 on a criminal case of fraud. Shortly after, the Central District Court of Chelyabinsk placed him under house arrest.

Affected buildings

Under management of OOO UK ZhK Admiralksky are the following addresses:

Yumasheva Street, building 1;
Yumasheva Street, building 3;
Akademika Sakharova Street, building 29, block 2.

OOO UKIKO services:

Korotky Lane, building 4, block A;
Kuibysheva Street, building 40.

Residents will receive the first bills from the new supplier in April 2026. They will need to take and submit meter readings no later than May 1, 2026.

Amount of debts

In the press service of Yekaterinburgenergosbyt, it was reported that the debt of OOO UK ZhK Admiralksky exceeds 6.5 million rubles ($65,000 at current rates), and that of OOO UKIKO is about 1.5 million rubles ($15,000 at current rates). Both management companies must transfer data to the energy supply company to open new personal accounts.

A representative of Yekaterinburgenergosbyt stated: «In the absence of current meter readings, charges will be made according to the consumption standard established by Sverdlovsk REC resolution No. 130-PK, with subsequent recalculation based on readings after they are provided.»

Experts recommend that residents independently prepare copies of documents confirming ownership of the housing (passport, extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate or certificate), indicate a contact phone number and email address, and provide information about the installed meters (type, number, current readings). Documents can be sent remotely via:

the «Internet reception» section on the official website of JSC «EENS», selecting the topic «Energy supply contract»;
personal account on the EENS website after receiving bills for March 2026, where the personal account number will be indicated.

At the same time, charges for the maintenance of common property in the apartment building will continue to be made by the management companies.

Earlier, residents of buildings serviced by Starokozhev«s companies have already faced serious problems. For example, during winter frosts, heating was turned off in one of the houses in Gorny Shield (Sverdlovsk Oblast), and in the Admiralksky residential complex, the consequences of basement flooding with sewage could not be eliminated for several days. In addition, two other management companies associated with the same entrepreneur have also accumulated significant debts, causing their residents to receive additional payment documents.