A golden city without heat: life in Bodaibo, northern Angara
People rarely arrive in Bodaibo, a small town in the northern Irkutsk region, by chance. They make it there. And when, after a long, difficult journey through the taiga, the entrance sign finally appears, it feels almost like a finish line: you've made it.
The bright yellow letters on the stele remind us of the region's main source of life—gold and its mining. However, locals often say, "We walk on gold in bast shoes." It's hard to argue with that. The population is declining, the price of a small loaf of bread has exceeded 150 rubles, and nothing has changed in the city for years—only the occasional announcements calling for people to enroll in the SVO are updated.
Bodaibo has been at the top of the Russian news agenda in recent days. The cause was a utility failure that left approximately 1,5 people without heat and hot water. That's nearly a fifth of the city's 7,5 residents.
How Russia's "golden" city lives—in the material from "NeMoskva."
Production grows, the city empties
The history of gold mining in the Bodaibo district dates back approximately 180 years, but local legends about the "golden trail" on the Lena River go much deeper. They say that as early as the 17th century, an indigenous hunter came to a fair with a gold nugget in hand—he was trading pelts for salt, unaware that this chance find would herald the future gold rush and the development of the northern territories.
The real turning point occurred in the 19th century. In the summer of 1846, the first gold in the Lena region was discovered in the upper reaches of the Khomolkho River, and then the discoveries poured in, one after another: the metal was also found in other nearby rivers. In 1863, gold was also discovered in the Bodaibo River system. A mine application was registered on July 27, and by the fall, the first houses appeared on the banks. Thus began the history of the Bodaibo residence, and then of the city of Bodaibo itself—the future center of gold mining.
There are two theories surrounding the origin of the name "Bodaibo." According to one, prospectors, having received a "tvorot"—a registered plot of land—prayed for a rich vein, saying, "Give me, God." Over time, this expression may have been corrupted into the city's common name. According to another, more traditional theory, the word has Evenki roots and means "this place."
Since then, gold has defined everything here—the economy, way of life, infrastructure, and even the sense of time. According to 2025 data, mineral producers in the Bodaibo district extracted 21,276 tons of gold—an 11,6% increase from the previous year.
The price of the metal also seems like a pipe dream. In early February 2026, the global gold market exceeded $3 per troy ounce (31,1 grams), while spot prices in Russia were 11–13 rubles per gram. It would seem that such a region should be able to live peacefully: without constant repairs, without talk of school closures, without the risk of the city being left without heat in freezing temperatures.
But the current distribution of financial flows and tax revenues leaves Bodaibo in a paradoxical position: a territory that literally lives on gold is extremely deprived of resources.
According to the draft budget of the Bodaibo Municipality for 2026, total revenue is projected at 372,652 million rubles, of which 125,579 million rubles are interbudget transfers. Expenditures are projected at 397,359 million rubles, leaving a budget deficit of 24,707 million rubles, or approximately 10% of annual revenue excluding gratuitous receipts.
Residents are feeling all this. That's why they're leaving. While Bodaibo's population was around 20 during perestroika, by 2006 it had dropped to 15, and by early 2026, it's estimated at just 7,5. Locals sadly say that in another couple of years, only shift workers will remain in the town. "Since the end of the Soviet Union, two current Bodaibo residents have left. The town was three times as populous. We need to create the conditions for the systematic development of the North," says local resident Ivan.
The water froze and everything stopped
At the end of January, a utility failure occurred in Bodaibo. During severe frosts—temperatures dropped below 40 degrees Celsius—the central water main supplying water to the boiler houses froze. As a result, four boiler houses shut down, leaving 141 homes, approximately 1,3 people, and two schools without heat. Authorities declared a state of emergency.
Then the battle began, not so much for heat as for water: without it, it was impossible to restart the boilers. Utility workers tried to bypass the frozen section, laying temporary lines and flexible hoses, but the frost turned them to ice. Then they began assembling a backup water main—a temporary pipeline laid along the surface. Meanwhile, they thawed the main pipeline. During the restoration process, another break occurred, and part of the work had to be started over.
For several days, the city lived in survival mode. People used kettles and space heaters, thawed pipes, and heated water on stoves. Some went to stay with relatives, but many had no such option.
"It's -37°C outside, but in our apartments it's around 5°C. Our houses are turning into ice traps. Not only are the pipes freezing, but our septic tanks have completely stopped working, threatening the city with not just a utility breakdown, but a sanitary and epidemiological catastrophe," wrote Bodaibo resident Alexey in the comments.
Amid the public outcry, authorities announced one-time payments to victims—15 rubles per person. Investigative bodies have launched investigations, and a state of emergency has been declared at the regional level.
By early February, it became clear that Bodaibo could not cope on its own. People and equipment from across the region began to be deployed to the city: emergency crews, utility companies, energy companies, businesses, and gold mining companies joined in. Specialists from Irkutsk, Angarsk, Bratsk, Ust-Ilimsk, and other areas participated in the cleanup efforts.
As of February 9, two social facilities and 18 residential buildings, home to 265 people, including 50 children, had been connected to heat. That same day, the central water supply to two boiler houses was restored, reducing the workload for water trucks and fire trucks. Construction of a temporary ground line continued, and a mobile steam unit was used to heat the section of the main line from Razvedchikov Street to Lisiy Lane.
At the same time, the electricity problem was addressed: due to the widespread use of space heaters, the grid couldn't handle the load. Two complete transformer substations, each with a capacity of 400 kVA, were delivered to Bodaibo, and some buildings were temporarily converted to electric heating.
Authorities planned a trial run for buildings on Lytkinskaya, Razvedchikov, Sadovaya, Solnechnaya, and Stroitelnaya Streets on February 10. However, final completion is scheduled for February 21. The main thing is to avoid another sudden Siberian frost.
Schools and hospitals
Even without municipal emergencies, Bodaibo's outlook is bleak. Healthcare in the city is dire: there's a shortage of specialists, and serious examinations and surgeries often require travel to Irkutsk. This is especially acute for women: for the past few years, Bodaibo women have been sent to the regional capital to give birth.
Bodaibo resident Lyubov Popova described the consequences of such trips. She said the issue of access to maternity care was raised, including during a personal meeting with the governor of the Irkutsk region and the minister of health, but she has yet to see any systematic solutions.
According to Popova, giving birth in Irkutsk also entails significant expenses. The round-trip flight alone can cost around 40 rubles, rent 45 rubles, and food and taxis add another 40 rubles. Another 20 rubles are spent on hospital fees.
"And if you're not flying alone, but with your husband—to help you out after the birth—the costs automatically double," the woman says.
Technically, the state reimburses flights, but, as she notes, receiving this money is not easy: you need to gather documents, certified copies, and meet deadlines. If the family remains in Irkutsk for more than a week after discharge, they may not receive compensation.
The hardest part of such trips, according to Popova, isn't the financial aspect. "When you walk into a rented apartment with a baby, where there are no relatives, no support, no help—it's a terrible feeling of loneliness. Especially if you're a first-time mother. The main thing we were deprived of was the opportunity to give birth close to home, surrounded by family," Popova emphasizes.
The education situation is also tense. Bodaibo once had four schools, but over time the system began to shrink: in 2010, the second and third schools were merged. At the end of 2025, rumors began circulating in the city about the possible closure of School No. 3 and the Raduga kindergarten.
Yevgeny Yumashev, Mayor of Bodaibo and the Bodaibo District, commented on the situation. While there were 834 children in the city's kindergartens in September 2023, the number is projected to fall to 635 by September 2026—a decline of almost 25%. The situation in schools is similar: from 2151 students in 2023, the number of children by 2026 could drop to 1725, a decrease of 426, or about 20%.
Money is a separate issue. The decline in the number of children directly impacts the amount of regional subsidies: schools could receive 318 million rubles in 2026 instead of 384 million in 2025, and kindergartens 191,7 million instead of 217,5 million. According to Yumashev, the municipality is unable to compensate for the shortfall from the district budget. School mergers are considered a last resort. "We will resist as much as possible," Yumashev emphasized.
What can you buy with northern money?
At first glance, Bodaibo appears to be a city with good wages. As of February 1, 2026, the average salary here was 71,360 rubles. However, this figure is largely driven by shift workers and employees of large gold mining companies—it is their incomes that inflate the statistics.
Most residents of Bodaibo live on a completely different income. At micro-enterprises (with up to 15 employees), the average salary is 35,680 rubles, while for public sector employees it's 47,570 rubles. This means that teachers, preschool teachers, medical professionals, and municipal employees earn almost half as much as the average.
Against this backdrop, prices are particularly painful. Grocery items in Bodaibo are significantly more expensive than in Irkutsk: almost everything is imported, logistics are complex, and any delivery delay translates into an additional markup. For example, according to open sources, a liter of milk in the city costs about 190 rubles, a kilogram of chicken costs about 760 rubles, pasta (500 grams) costs about 150 rubles, and a kilogram of apples costs about 220 rubles. A loaf of bread weighing about 500 grams costs 120-150 rubles.
But while you can still find a hospital, school, and pharmacy in Bodaibo, the situation in the villages surrounding the city is even worse.
For example, in the village of Balakhninsky, 33 kilometers from Bodaibo, a school and a kindergarten were merged several years ago. The kindergarten there is essentially running on a single class. The school only runs up to ninth grade; classes beyond that simply don't fill. There's a shortage of teachers, and finding specialists in such a remote area is virtually impossible.
The pharmacy in Balakhna is closed. Some pills can be purchased at the hospital, but most people go into town. It's a forty-minute journey: two thousand rubles by taxi, 500 rubles by minibus. Grocery deliveries are irregular: locals say bread only appears in stores three times a week.
The village of Mamakan, located just 16 kilometers from Bodaibo and home to the Mamakan Hydroelectric Power Station, built in permafrost, is no better off. Mamakan's main symbol is its school. The old three-story school building burned down on the night of January 23-24, 2008. Construction of a new school only began in 2016, eight years after the fire. The plan was to give the village a modern building for 250 students, complete with a gym, assembly hall, library, and medical center, but deadlines were constantly missed. The contractor's contract was terminated by 2023. It was later reported that inspections had been initiated due to the missed deadlines, and the budget losses were estimated at nearly 1,5 million rubles.
The current completion date for the project is September 2026. The draft budget for 2026 includes 120 million for completion of construction.
"The main problem with the construction remains chronic underfunding from the regional budget. According to the agreement, the region is supposed to provide 75% of the funds, but only 14 million of the required 250 million rubles have been received. To prevent the project from being halted, the district is accumulating its own funds," said Mayor Yevgeny Yumashev in October 2025.
Transport deadlock
One of the reasons people leave Bodaibo is transportation logistics. Bodaibo Airport has a dirt runway, designed primarily for older An-24 and An-26 aircraft. In winter, planes often ground their flights due to frost and fog, and in summer and fall, flights can be disrupted by rain, as the runway is washed out.
Construction of a new airport in Bodaibo, designed to provide year-round transport access, began in 2023. The contract was valued at 7,4 billion rubles, and the Moscow-based company Rotek was the contractor. The plan was to build a concrete runway 2,1 meters long and 35 meters wide, as well as an apron and infrastructure capable of handling multiple aircraft simultaneously.
However, in July 2024, the contractor canceled the contract, citing the client's delay in providing the construction site. After this, work effectively stopped. According to Mayor Yevgeny Yumashev, funding for resuming reconstruction is planned for 2027 only.
The best-case scenario for a plane ticket to Irkutsk is 30,000 rubles—for a two-hour, twenty-minute flight. In January 2026, Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev announced that, starting February 1, residents of Bodaibo and the Bodaibo District would be able to fly to Irkutsk at a special rate of 13,902.5 rubles. However, this rate is only valid for passengers with registered residence and only when purchased at ticket offices in Irkutsk and Bodaibo. In the comments section below the news, representatives of the regional Ministry of Transport clarified that in 2026, 2,157 passengers are planned to fly at this special rate. This translates to approximately six passengers per day.
When flying isn't an option, the train remains. But the railway doesn't reach Bodaibo. It only goes as far as Taksimo, a station in Buryatia, and then begins a 220-kilometer highway. With luck, the journey by private car takes about five hours—more often in winter, when the road is snow-covered. Otherwise, the journey stretches out to seven to eight hours of endless bumpy rides: taxi drivers complain about the broken pavement, potholes, and washed-out sections that literally destroy their cars.
But even if you manage to navigate the road from Taksimo, the route to Bodaibo ends at the river. There's no bridge across the Vitim, so the transport situation depends on the season. Until the ice forms, a ferry operates. In winter, cars travel along the ice bridge. In the off-season, transportation becomes a lottery: the ice no longer holds, the ferry can be idle due to weather or water levels, and deliveries to the city are delayed.
Talk of a bridge here has long been an integral part of the city's mythology. Attempts to build one were made back in the 1980s, at the end of the Soviet era, as part of the development of the area associated with the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). Several massive concrete piers were installed in the riverbed. Then construction stalled, funding disappeared, and the unfinished structure became a symbol of unfulfilled plans. The piers—nicknamed "dragon's teeth" by Bodaibo residents—stood in the water for decades, while residents listened to promises from every mayor to resolve the issue.
In 2024, the old supports were demolished, and construction resumed last year. Two supports were erected within a year, and three more are planned for 2026, along with preparation of the sites for the assembly of the superstructure steel structures. Commissioning is scheduled for 2028. The bridge will be 414 meters long, with a total length of approximately six kilometers, including access roads. The construction cost is estimated at 12 billion rubles.
Governor Igor Kobzev proposed choosing a name for the future bridge, noting that the structure could be named after "worthy individuals"—for example, Berdyev, a member of the SVO. However, residents in the comments suggested another option: "Long-awaited."
Outside the Irkutsk region, Bodaibo is most often remembered for two things: Vysotsky's song about Vacha and the history of the Lena goldfields. The Lena massacre of 1912 became one of the most notorious events of pre-revolutionary Russia—Lenin wrote about it. In April, Aprelsk, a village near Bodaibo where workers went in 1912 to demand better working conditions, will hold a traditional rally commemorating the anniversary of the massacre. There, people will discuss what's been discussed here for years: why, with gold mining going on like this, there aren't enough doctors, why people are leaving, why there's still no proper road, why a utility accident can leave entire neighborhoods without heat. In short, they'll be discussing why people in Bodaibo continue to wear bast shoes when they go gold mining.
