President Vladimir Putin's neighbours in Western Moscow are furious. They claim that water to their Ogaryovo village along the prestigious Rublyovskoye Shosse has been cut off since 15 Jul 2002 to serve the area's prime customer. A rapid increase in the surrounding population in these elite areas in recent years has proven to be too much for the old pipes to handle. As a result, the villagers and rich Russians alike have had little to no water when Putin needs to water his vast lawns or fill his large swimming pool during the summer. A Kremlin spokeswoman declined to comment. Officials for Barvikha district, which oversees Ogaryovo and Usovo on the western outskirts of Moscow, blamed the posh new cottages for the water problem. "In the summer there is this water problem, and every winter the sewage leaks and we have a stream of excrement running through our yard. But no one cares", commented a neighbour.

Source: Moscow Times, 18 Jul 2002