Respectfully you have no idea, planned hot water downtime in summer is reality for most cities in Russia (including SPb with official maximum length of two weeks), don't try to paint it look better than the mess it is.
Other post-Soviet countries probably do better, especially in Europe, but I have no info
> Old Soviet style communities get hot water from central plants, mainly used for heating but also for showers, so when winter is over, they shutdown the heating plants for the season and no hot water at all
Because if you reread it, you'll get the ridiculousness of that claim. So what you saying that situation in ex-USSR is such that there is only hot water during the winter. This is ridiculous, even taking into account grievances you have about Russian infrastructure.
What is your point?
By the way, that's not quite a flex since people still use hot water to wash heads when there's no central hot water. My friends and relatives in Russia were doing that before this month ;) Spoiler: kettles and buckets.
If you doubt me and have no one to ask then trust things like https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7lLlnmAAHt/. pretty sure Belaya Dacha markets to middle/upper middle class countrywide
> It is so incorrect, it is boderline idiotic urban legend. post-Soviet cities have hot water year around.
Probably every city in Russia most certainly don't have water "all year around", and never have going back into USSR times.
How the plants work exactly I have nothing to say, but if there is an urban legend perpetuated here then I'll tell it which it is: it's how good soviet and Russian infrastructure is.