Going Down: Russia's Elevator Replacement Program Is Falling Apart Again

This year in Russian high-rise buildings replace 40 elevators—a 10% decrease from last year. These are the forecasts of experts from the Russian Elevator Association.

According to them, a similar decline was recorded in 2022 (39,7). Since then, the industry has failed to return to its pre-war level (almost 46 elevators per year).

Experts attribute this decline to a shortage of funds in capital repair funds: due to sanctions, elevator replacement costs have increased by 50%, while capital repair fees remain unchanged.

From January to September 2025, only about 10 elevators, which had been in service for more than 25 years, were replaced in the regions. This is already 17% less than in 2024 and 39% less than in 2023.

The authorities planned a massive elevator replacement in 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic and the challenging economic situation. Most elevators have now passed their expiration dates. Where it's safe to do so, management companies are attempting to repair old equipment.

Chtoby reshit problem, Chelyabinsk authorities back in the spring proposed Residents can buy elevators in installments.

Along with the solvency of capital repair funds, the workload of Russian elevator manufacturers is also declining. The situation is further complicated by the crisis in the construction industry: in the first eight months of 2025, housing completions nationwide fell by 6% (and the number of elevators in new buildings fell along with it). This is intensifying competition with suppliers from China and Belarus.