Navalny Sets Up New Project to Improve Communal Services

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: November 9, 2012 (Issue # 1734)

MOSCOW — Prominent anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny has set up a new Internet-based project to help Russians fight poor service and corruption in communal services.

"The idea is very simple: Do you pay for utilities? Of course. We will help you get what you have already paid for," Navalny wrote on his LiveJournal blog Thursday.

Navalny reminded readers that about half of their monthly utilities bills goes toward the upkeep of communal areas in residential buildings, while the actual state of many entrances, stairs and lifts across Russia is often below standards.

Navalny, who has taken an active role in organizing anti-Kremlin protests since last winter, said the new service, called RosZhKKh and available at Roszkh.ru, would help Russians identify flaws in communal services and file complaints to officials online, avoiding unnecessary red tape.

The new project, which he dubbed "a sharp stick" for swindlers working in communal services, would also help root out widespread corruption, Navalny wrote.

RosZhKKh is the latest in a series of political and anti-corruption projects launched by Navalny. His prior projects include state tender tracker RosPil, pothole-busting RosYama, election monitor RosVybory and volunteer coordinator Good Vehicle of Truth.