Director General of the Gazprom Transgas Kazan Company Rustem Usmanov: Gas is inseparable part of life but at the same time a potential hazard

On 17 January, speaking at a regular Saturday meeting held by the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov in the Government House of the republic, the Director General of the Gazprom Transgas Kazan Company Rustem Usmanov informed about measures taken for organizing safe use of in-house and in-apartment gas equipment.

Rustem Usmanov said that gas has become an inseparable part of life but at the same time a potential hazard. Therefore, ensuring the safe operation of domestic gas equipment is one of the priority tasks, he said and informed that currently the Gazprom Transgas Kazan carries out the operation and maintenance of 1 million 600 thousand gasified apartments, where over 2.5 million units of gas equipment (gas stoves, heating boilers, instantaneous water heaters) are installed.

He reminded about tragic incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning on 9 and 12 January 2026 and gave statistics of such incidents from 2023 to 2025 which killed 14 people in total. At the same time the information is incomplete, as victims often refuse hospitalization, and carbon monoxide poisoning is not confirmed, Rustam Usmanov said.

In 2025, approximately 12,000 notices were issued to violating subscribers, and gas supplies were temporarily cut off in more than 10,000 apartments and the supply was resumed only after the violations were eliminated, he informed.

Rustem Usmanov also gave examples of main causes of the incidents such as lack of access for inspection of gas pipelines, the need to replace flexible gas connections or gas appliances with expired service life and unauthorized replacement of gas water heaters by residents of apartment buildings and informed that, according to statistics, carbon monoxide poisoning most often happens in five-floor houses which have been in operation for more than 60 years and  houses and dormitories in which gas stoves are installed in common areas.

He also stated that in addition to technical maintenance and repairs, a complete or partial degasification - with the elimination of gas water heaters drastically decreases the incidence rate and increases safety and added that there is such positive experience in the old housing stock of Moscow and St. Petersburg.