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[00:00:00] The utility bill for January has [00:00:02] arrived. 12,000 rubles for 1 month. [00:00:05] 12,000 rubles for an apartment I'm not [00:00:08] even living in yet. I barely use any [00:00:10] electricity there. Barely use any gas. [00:00:13] And certainly not any water. [00:00:16] 12,000. If even millionaire bloggers are [00:00:19] getting worried, then what are we [00:00:20] ordinary people supposed to do? Have you [00:00:23] noticed that rising utility costs are [00:00:25] now being discussed even at the very top [00:00:28] of our blogging crowd? Million follower [00:00:31] bloggers are posting videos saying that [00:00:33] housing and utilities have become [00:00:35] unaffordable. If they say it's expensive [00:00:37] for them, then what are we supposed to [00:00:38] do? Utility rates went up by 20% in [00:00:41] January. People with 40 square meters [00:00:44] are now expected to pay 15,000 17,000 [00:00:47] rubles. [00:00:49] All right, Moscow. Fine. Supposedly, [00:00:52] everything is better here and utility [00:00:54] rates across the country are roughly at [00:00:56] Moscow's level. Even though the standard [00:00:58] of living elsewhere is much lower and on [00:01:01] top of that, there's going to be a [00:01:03] second increase in June or July. One [00:01:05] hike wasn't enough. They kindly decided [00:01:08] to split it into two stages so people [00:01:11] would have 6 months to prepare to save [00:01:13] up money to pay their bills. Well, I'm [00:01:16] not going to gather up all my money just [00:01:18] to hand it over for utilities. I can't [00:01:20] imagine where we're heading. Where are [00:01:22] we even going? [00:01:24] >> For the past 2 months, the utility bill [00:01:26] was around 11, a little over 10,000. In [00:01:29] January, 33. I'm not going to pay that. [00:01:33] Sorry. [00:01:34] >> Well, no one wants to pay. But they will [00:01:37] have to because Imperial ambitions are [00:01:40] always paid for by the citizens of the [00:01:43] empire. And if for years you stay [00:01:45] silent, applauded, support, or simply [00:01:49] pretend to be out of politics, the bill [00:01:52] will come anyway, and you will have to [00:01:55] pay and be held accountable. And if you [00:01:58] don't want to, you'll be forced through [00:02:00] the threats. [00:02:02] >> You bastards need to be slammed face [00:02:04] first into a table. That's what you [00:02:06] deserve. [00:02:08] >> No. What should have been done was [00:02:11] simple. Not to stay silent. all those [00:02:14] years and not to support Putin's bloody [00:02:16] rule because he started the war, but all [00:02:19] Russians will pay for it through taxes, [00:02:22] utility tariffs, rising food prices, and [00:02:25] increasing costs of basic services. [00:02:29] So, today I bring you cries from the [00:02:31] swamps over miserable survival, part [00:02:34] two. [00:02:35] >> Guys, what happened to the utility [00:02:36] bills? 115 m. I get it. The apartment is [00:02:40] big. 17,000 on the bill. Seven. That's [00:02:43] never happened before. 17,000 for [00:02:45] January. What's your square footage? How [00:02:48] much was your January bill? Can you [00:02:50] write in the comments? Honestly, I'm in [00:02:51] shock. I feel like I'm renting this [00:02:53] place. Not like it's not even my own [00:02:55] apartment. Let me know. Kazan, so my [00:02:58] utility bill for 58 m is 19,000 rubles. [00:03:03] What is that? Is that a normal price or [00:03:04] not? It seems to me this is way too [00:03:07] much. I'm not calling on anyone to do [00:03:10] anything, but personally, more and more [00:03:11] today, I find myself thinking that for [00:03:13] the 47,000 rubles I have to pay here [00:03:16] just for electricity, I could easily [00:03:18] rent a condo somewhere in Vietnam or [00:03:20] Thailand and live there freely without [00:03:21] censorship or a VPN. I love my country, [00:03:25] but it doesn't love me back. I don't [00:03:27] even know if I should record this real, [00:03:28] but I'm going to do it. We've all been [00:03:30] busy busy dealing with the new [00:03:32] electricity bills along with the whole [00:03:34] country. Our electricity bill for [00:03:36] January is almost 47,000 rubles and [00:03:39] that's just for electricity. I pay less [00:03:41] for my mortgage. In December, the bill [00:03:43] was 24,000 rubles and in January it's [00:03:46] already 47,000 rubles. I'll repeat, [00:03:50] given the size of our house, our bill [00:03:51] should have increased by no more than [00:03:52] 4,000 rubles, but instead they went up [00:03:55] by 23,000. There are grounds to file [00:03:57] complaints with the housing [00:03:58] inspectorate, the federal monopoly [00:04:00] service, roach nadzer, and the [00:04:02] prosecutor's office. Anyone who's ready [00:04:04] to tolerate this and sit quietly without [00:04:06] saying a word, go ahead and keep I love [00:04:09] herring under a fur coat, so I gladly [00:04:11] make it myself. And everyone I invite [00:04:13] comes over. [00:04:14] >> Have you seen the prices? [00:04:16] >> Well, I think my beets grew in my own [00:04:18] garden, and so did my carrots. So, for [00:04:20] me, it hasn't gotten more expensive. I'd [00:04:23] say the cost has stayed at about the [00:04:24] level of maybe even 3 years ago because [00:04:26] while working in the Duma I also work at [00:04:28] my dacha in my vegetable garden picking [00:04:31] berries harvesting vegetables and [00:04:33] everything else. So for me nothing has [00:04:35] become more expensive. I can treat [00:04:37] someone pour them some tea with [00:04:39] strawberry jam and offer other homemade [00:04:41] products too. So I think that those who [00:04:43] aren't lazy have earned themselves an [00:04:44] inexpensive Olivier salad. In the [00:04:47] previous episode, I showed how Russians [00:04:50] were whining about the VAT increase and [00:04:53] the sharp rise in food prices. [00:04:56] Today, it's their utility bills that [00:04:59] will cover the coast of the rockets and [00:05:01] drones wiping Ukrainian cities and [00:05:04] villages off the face of the earth. [00:05:08] >> So, technically, according to the [00:05:10] documents, it's a three- room apartment, [00:05:12] right? [00:05:17] The total area listed is 78.2 m. And in [00:05:20] January, we received a utility bill for [00:05:22] two people living here 24/7, [00:05:24] 33,829 rubles. How is that even [00:05:28] possible? Is this legal? For context, [00:05:31] over the past 2 months, our utilities [00:05:33] were around 11,000. 10,000 in a bit, and [00:05:36] in January, 33,000. I'm not going to pay [00:05:39] that. [00:05:40] We're in shock over the new electricity [00:05:42] bills just like the whole country. Our [00:05:44] electricity bill for January is almost [00:05:46] 47,000 rubles and that's just for [00:05:49] electricity. I pay less for my mortgage. [00:05:52] In December the bill was 24,000 rubles [00:05:54] and in January it's already 47,000. [00:05:57] I'll repeat, given the size of our [00:05:59] house, our payments should have [00:06:00] increased by no more than 4,000 rubles, [00:06:03] but instead they went up by 23,000 [00:06:06] because every ruble on that receipt is [00:06:09] part of a system that turns money into [00:06:12] shells. [00:06:13] So, the citizens of the Russian [00:06:15] Federation began 2026 not with hopes and [00:06:19] plans, but with bills. And those bills [00:06:22] will have become perhaps the most honest [00:06:24] summary of the war that Putin is [00:06:27] wagging. Propaganda can still explain, [00:06:30] justify, and wrap things in pretty [00:06:32] words, but the numbers in utility bills [00:06:35] cannot. They are silent, ruthless, and [00:06:38] extremely convincing. And they have to, [00:06:41] put it mildly, deeply upset even the not [00:06:45] so poor Mosavites. Why is everyone [00:06:47] pretending that nothing's happening? Is [00:06:49] everything fine for everyone? No, [00:06:52] seriously. I'm in shock right now. I [00:06:54] opened the app to pay the utilities. [00:06:57] Do you know how much the utilities cost [00:06:59] for 42 m? A brand new mortgage? [00:07:03] 12,000 rubles. [00:07:07] >> For what exactly? The place hasn't been [00:07:09] renovated since the age of mammoths. I [00:07:12] don't even know. It's just a complete [00:07:14] mess. Utilities 12,000. [00:07:19] Sorry, we bought an apartment in Moscow. [00:07:21] We haven't even moved in yet. It's just [00:07:23] bare concrete inside. 18,000. [00:07:26] Excuse me. And another thing, when did [00:07:29] it become normal to buy a kilo of [00:07:30] tomatoes for 600 rubles? [00:07:34] And don't say it's because it's winter. [00:07:36] It's the same nonsense in the summer. [00:07:38] And cucumbers. [00:07:41] When I lived in the village, the [00:07:42] simplest, easiest, cheapest salad was [00:07:44] cucumbers and tomatoes. [00:07:46] Now that's luxury. A salad that costs [00:07:49] 1,500 rubles just like that. Chicken, [00:07:52] damn it. That basically runs around for [00:07:54] free. I'm telling you, I'm going to [00:07:56] start raising my own pigs, chickens, [00:07:58] turkeys, whoever else. I'll raise them [00:08:01] all. [00:08:03] I'll have my own farm. And grain isn't [00:08:06] getting more expensive. Hay isn't [00:08:08] getting more expensive. Oh, guys, let's [00:08:10] move to the countryside somewhere remote [00:08:12] where no one will find us. There you go. [00:08:17] Moscow. Moscow. [00:08:19] >> So imagine how hard this hits ordinary [00:08:22] citizens if even people in Moscow are [00:08:25] massively posting videos in social media [00:08:28] showing their bills with shock, [00:08:30] resentment, and the question, how are we [00:08:34] supposed to live like this? And here [00:08:37] it's important to note this is no longer [00:08:40] happening somewhere in the regions not [00:08:42] in depressed small towns but in the [00:08:45] capital the city that for years what fed [00:08:48] and protected as a showcase of [00:08:51] stability. Believe me in the regions the [00:08:54] situation is even worse. [00:08:57] >> 16,000 you're in Moscow complaining that [00:08:59] you pay 16,000 in utilities for a four [00:09:02] room apartment. [00:09:05] Meanwhile, in Ufa, it's 14,184 [00:09:08] rubles for a three- room apartment on [00:09:10] the outskirts of the city. And you're [00:09:13] complaining about 16,000 in Moscow. [00:09:16] >> You see, real hunger games. Now, [00:09:18] citizens of Putin's federations are [00:09:21] ready to tear each other apart with [00:09:23] their angry comments. The reason is [00:09:26] banel and cynical at the same time. War [00:09:29] is expansive. missiles, drones, shells, [00:09:33] maintaining the army, payments to [00:09:35] security forces and the propaganda [00:09:37] machine. None of that comes from thin [00:09:40] air. When the budget is bursting at the [00:09:43] seams and revenues are falling, the [00:09:45] state takes the simplest path. It [00:09:48] reaches into its own citizens pockets. [00:09:51] >> I remember how at the beginning of the [00:09:52] full-scale war in 2022, they were all [00:09:55] saying, "Oh, electricity bills in Europe [00:09:57] have doubled. Oh, they're all going to [00:09:59] freeze. Oh, they're all doomed. Think [00:10:01] back. This was being actively discussed [00:10:03] everywhere. It was constantly pushed on [00:10:06] television. Slovia was saying, "They're [00:10:09] paying €200 a month for electricity now. [00:10:12] Soon they'll be out on the streets. They [00:10:14] have no light, no heating, and what do [00:10:16] we have in 2026? Electricity in Russia [00:10:18] now costs as much as in Europe. There's [00:10:20] no power in Belgar and in other regions, [00:10:22] too. People are freezing because the [00:10:23] winter is cold. And somehow they've [00:10:25] stopped talking about Europe. Notice how [00:10:27] all the talk about Europe rotting, [00:10:28] freezing, and paying outrageous [00:10:30] electricity prices has just disappeared. [00:10:32] So, what about Europe? Did you forget? [00:10:34] Turns out not everyone is freezing after [00:10:36] all. Now, it's the other way around. [00:10:38] >> There's just one nuance. For years, [00:10:40] Russians were told that sanctions don't [00:10:43] work, that the economy withtood the [00:10:46] pressure, that the country is rising [00:10:48] from its knees, and maybe those words [00:10:50] could still be repeated as long as the [00:10:53] war existed somewhere on the TV screen. [00:10:56] But when it arrives in the form of a [00:10:58] bill for electricity, water, and [00:11:01] heating, illusions end because the [00:11:04] greatness of the empire doesn't heat [00:11:06] your apartment or pay for your hot [00:11:09] water. And here we are. [00:11:11] >> I'm in shock right now. I open it up and [00:11:14] it's a chicken. Damn it. That's [00:11:15] supposedly free range. You know, I look [00:11:18] at all this and it's both ironic and [00:11:21] tragic to watch the very same people who [00:11:24] yesterday were writing, "We can do it [00:11:27] again." and applauding another strike on [00:11:30] Ukraine today recording videos like [00:11:32] these. Well, I guess I'll cook chicken [00:11:35] for dinner today. [00:11:37] The chicken cost 600 rubles. Maybe I'll [00:11:40] make a salad instead. At least we'll eat [00:11:42] some cucumbers. [00:11:45] 300 rubles for cucumbers. 300 rubles for [00:11:48] butter. We'll skip the butter. 600 [00:11:51] rubles doesn't even get you a whole [00:11:53] sausage. We'll just drink tap water. [00:11:57] Because life in Russia now is not just [00:11:59] about skyrocketing tariffs and rising [00:12:03] prices. It is a direct invoice for the [00:12:06] war. For every shot, every missile, [00:12:09] every crime. And the longer this war [00:12:12] lasts, the larger the total at the [00:12:14] bottom of the receipt will grow. Because [00:12:17] a state that kills always make its own [00:12:20] people pay. The only question is how [00:12:22] long Russians will continue to pretend [00:12:25] they don't understand what exactly they [00:12:27] are being charged for. [00:12:29] >> In our country, the state fundamentally [00:12:31] denies the right of citizens to life. [00:12:33] Even a subsistence minimum that is [00:12:35] several times lower than the real level [00:12:37] is not guaranteed to everyone. [00:12:40] It is guaranteed to pensioners and even [00:12:42] then not to everyone. It is guaranteed [00:12:44] to families with children deacto and it [00:12:47] is guaranteed to legally employed [00:12:49] full-time [00:12:50] students, people who have not worked out [00:12:52] pension points, [00:12:54] retirement experience and so on. That is [00:12:58] those who are too poor housewives are [00:13:00] not guaranteed it in principle. [00:13:03] But while they still refuse to [00:13:05] understand, analysts predict this is [00:13:08] only the beginning. Rapid price [00:13:10] increases driving by the need of finance [00:13:13] the war and cover the budget deficit [00:13:15] will continue. The Russian budget cannot [00:13:18] withstand the military expenses. So the [00:13:20] burden is shifted onto citizens. And you [00:13:23] know what else is ironic? Kremlin [00:13:26] officials explain it is a necessity to [00:13:28] repair infrastructure that is more than [00:13:31] 40% worn out and in some forgotten [00:13:34] corners of Russia abandoned by both [00:13:37] Putin and God it's worn out by as much [00:13:40] as 80%. You know, we do not have enough [00:13:43] money to repair the system of power [00:13:45] lines, the same pipelines, and so let's [00:13:49] come up with such an investment [00:13:50] component. [00:13:52] And the investment component, it should [00:13:54] be twice as high as the tariff we are [00:13:57] used to. I remember saying, wait, [00:14:00] explain what you mean. She said, well, [00:14:02] for example, you pay 10 rubles today, [00:14:03] but you have to pay 20 rubles. And this [00:14:05] next this additive is the investment [00:14:08] component. [00:14:12] I remember then in the chamber of [00:14:13] commerce and industry of the Russian [00:14:14] Federation we gathered and said wait [00:14:16] does it turn out that the tariffs will [00:14:18] be doubled yes and why and then so that [00:14:20] all resource workers invest in the [00:14:22] repair of pipes and according to [00:14:23] calculations in 5 years all pipes will [00:14:25] be perfect all communications will be [00:14:27] perfect 2003 the fourth year [00:14:29] >> since that time four times 5 years have [00:14:30] passed [00:14:31] >> yes I can say that the year before last [00:14:34] Mr. Kusnelan, deputy prime minister said [00:14:36] that you know but we still do not know [00:14:38] where this component is where the [00:14:39] investment component is where did its [00:14:41] money go wait over the past 20 we have [00:14:44] been paying for 20 years and the [00:14:46] gentleman does not know where he puts [00:14:47] the money exactly half of the money and [00:14:50] he says openly publicly and you know we [00:14:52] still don't know and don't know how to [00:14:54] find it and everyone's free which is [00:14:56] interesting and everyone is free despite [00:14:57] the fact that in 2001 the FSB created a [00:15:00] special department not just to combat [00:15:02] economic crimes but they have a special [00:15:03] department to combat especially [00:15:05] important crimes in the field of housing [00:15:06] and communal services. And when you tell [00:15:08] them the names, listen, well, it's on [00:15:10] the air that they don't allow me to say [00:15:12] all the names. But when you name the [00:15:13] names with whom you need to start, they [00:15:15] usually say, can you tell us the scheme [00:15:17] by which this money goes? They say, but [00:15:21] it's impossible. This is how the country [00:15:22] lives. [00:15:23] >> But this situation is not limited to [00:15:25] Russia. In temporally occupied Ukrainian [00:15:28] cities, water tariffs have also doubled. [00:15:31] And this despite the fact that water and [00:15:34] heating supplies have still not been [00:15:36] fully restored. The only thing Russian [00:15:38] society managed flawlessly today is [00:15:41] complaining about prices, about taxes, [00:15:44] about the unfair world that suddenly [00:15:47] stopped admiring imperial ambitions. But [00:15:50] the paradox is that a complaint is not a [00:15:54] position. It's an emotion without [00:15:56] consequences. Empty cries. Noise without [00:16:00] action. [00:16:01] >> Am I the only one who is shocked by the [00:16:03] amount of utility bills for January? I [00:16:05] received payment for my room in a [00:16:06] communal apartment. 7,000 something. At [00:16:09] first, I thought, damn, maybe I didn't [00:16:11] pay on time and double payment came. [00:16:13] It's just that the fact that I was late [00:16:15] didn't go away. I scrolled through. No, [00:16:17] I paid on time last time. I don't [00:16:18] understand what's going on. An [00:16:20] acquaintance called me yesterday and [00:16:21] said, "Spa, can you imagine what kind of [00:16:23] receipt are to me?" and she has a three- [00:16:25] room apartment in a Christian apartment [00:16:27] 11,000. She said, "I pay 8." I said, "I [00:16:30] don't understand what is the reason for [00:16:31] this." And she said, "Yes, I found out." [00:16:34] They say, "Because the frosts were so [00:16:36] strong these days, so the utility check [00:16:38] grew up. Crazy. More than 30% of the [00:16:41] payment came from everyone. But this is [00:16:44] terrible." [00:16:45] And many people complain. Yesterday, I [00:16:48] just got into the chat, looked there. [00:16:50] The radiators were barely warm during [00:16:52] all this time. It's okay to make us [00:16:54] full, right? Four days of frost and good [00:16:56] earnings for someone. [00:16:59] And yet now when the economy is [00:17:01] cracking, when VAT is rising, when [00:17:04] prices are soaring, when the war begins [00:17:07] to affect not just the TV but their own [00:17:10] refrigerator and wallet, suddenly there [00:17:13] is a mass outrage. But as you can see [00:17:16] this chorus of discounted sounds in [00:17:18] kitchens and anonymous chats where it's [00:17:22] safe. For years we have been fighting [00:17:25] for freedom while Russians continue to [00:17:28] complain about the consequences of their [00:17:30] own silent consent. But slaves have [00:17:33] neither a voice nor a choice. And I will [00:17:36] keep talking about this for as long as [00:17:38] Russian missiles fly over our cities. [00:17:41] Thank you for watching and for your [00:17:43] feedback. Take care of yourself. Take [00:17:45] care of Ukraine. See you in the next [00:17:48] episode.