[SomeoneFromCA]

It is so incorrect, it is boderline idiotic urban legend. post-Soviet cities have hot water year around; same heating plants used for winter heating, are used for hot water in summer time, albeit at lower power. Also waste heat from power plants used for the same purpose.

[throwaway290]

I'll fact check you since I was born and grew up in Russia. No water most of the summer used to be the norm in my city. Checking as of today, in two cities I know central hot water is off every summer for 2+ weeks. My city improved and another one regressed. In a third city I asked about (one of the coldest) it's off for just single digit days.

[SomeoneFromCA]

What you describe is not normal today (unless we are talking about some Mukhosransk type of cities), and certainly was not normal in USSR, which kept civil infrastructure in a good shape.

As someone who is currently living in Central Asia, yes I do have no water for two weeks a year, they switch it off for "maintenance". However all last 5+ years, I had water through summer, with only occasional failures. We did have no heating one year, but water was all the time present.

[seanmcdirmid]

Even if you've never had to take cold showers in the summer, I have. I'm not sure why you can't believe our experiences would differ. The only reason I mentioned the USSR at all is because when I asked in China they said they got the system from them (and south of the Yangtze, you don't even get that).

[SomeoneFromCA]

Not sure what is your point. You've mentioned USSR and it was wrong, as Soviet System has never been like that - "hot water only during the winter". Ergo, you should not have brought up USSR.