[ellis0n]

When the war started, I advised various public and business figures about houses for relocation and someone even replied that work was being done on it, but I don’t see any progress. I had many friends who lived in panel buildings and everyone complained, it was a real curse. In addition to poor sound insulation between walls, over time the panels start to delaminate, you constantly have to seal cracks to stop cockroaches from migrating. The lifespan is 20 years shorter than that of brick buildings, though it depends on the specific batch and some are of decent quality.

Another issue is centralized heating. Problems begin when they start repairing the pipes, going six months without hot water is normal. Insulation is a must, usually done on credit at your own expense.

These buildings are completely lacking in bomb resistance. Of course, there are many types and configurations, for example, I lived in Odessa in some fairly decent panel buildings that were apparently built for a few from the USSR Politburo, so probably elite.

Living underground is hell. It’s better to solve the problem politically with reliable air defense systems. On top of that, terrible high-tech bombs keep getting more advanced and basements could end up costing more than the houses built above them.

The outskirts of Kharkiv are a tragedy, condolences.