More than 27 thousand people signed a petition calling for the release of boiler room manager Alexander Chikov, who was detained in Podolsk. The petition appeared on the Change.org platform and quickly drew attention from residents and advocates for due process. The surge in signatures reflected a broader concern about the treatment of workers who raise safety concerns and the transparency of administrative actions surrounding critical infrastructure.
The petition, authored by Chikov’s relatives, describes his long service in the boiler room, spanning 13 years, during which he earned a reputation for vigilance. According to supporters, he was consistently sounding alarms about malfunctions and unsafe conditions, acting as a de facto whistleblower in a high-stakes environment where faulty equipment can have serious public consequences. The document emphasizes that these warnings were not mere formalities but repeated, practical attempts to protect workers and residents from potential harm.
Despite his ongoing concerns, the petition asserts that those warnings were largely ignored. It notes that many of the reported issues were not addressed in time, leaving the facility vulnerable as the heating season approached and operations intensified. The text argues that the accumulation of unaddressed malfunctions created a dangerous backdrop for the boiler room’s work, with safety as the central issue rather than any single procedural misstep.
The petition adds that before the heating season began last year, Chikov sent formal letters to his supervisors detailing the equipment flaws. It alleges that his cautious approach and insistence on safe commissioning procedures was seen as a risk by some officials, and as a result, he reportedly chose not to sign off on the boiler room’s commissioning deed in order to preserve a formal record of the concerns he had raised. The document frames this decision as a precaution borne out of concern for public safety rather than a violation of protocol.
Earlier statements from Galina Mukhina, who is Chikov’s partner, reiterate that he consistently reported malfunctions to management and attempted to address them for several years. According to those close to him, he did not simply complain; he sought practical remedies and followed up on corrective actions, hoping for a safer and more reliable heating system for the community. The narrative in the petition portrays him as a responsible employee whose actions were motivated by a sense of duty and concern for others’ well-being.
On January 10, a court ordered detention for the boiler room head at the Klimovsky Special Cartridge Plant, Alexander Chikov. He faces charges related to providing services that allegedly do not meet established safety requirements, with a potential prison sentence of up to six years under clause “a” of part 2 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code. Supporters argue that the case hinges on the interpretation of safety standards and the adequacy of precautionary measures, and they call for due process and a thorough, transparent examination of the facts before any final judgment is rendered.
Meanwhile, discussions at the highest levels have touched on the broader issue of how heating and energy infrastructure are managed in the country. Critics have asked whether the timing and manner of any official interventions in residential heating systems reflect a careful balance between public safety, operational efficiency, and the rights of workers who raise legitimate concerns. Observers note that resolutions in such matters can set important precedents for safety culture and accountability in critical utilities across the nation, including major urban centers in Russia and, by extension, in international contexts where similar systems operate under stringent regulatory frameworks.