Fake Gas Workers Scammed 2,000 Residents in Syktyvkar — A Disaster That Almost Happened

In Syktyvkar, seven members of an organized criminal group were sentenced for large-scale fraud after posing as gas service workers and deceiving more than 2,000 residents — mostly elderly people. Wearing fake uniforms and showing forged IDs, they pressured victims into replacing perfectly working gas equipment with cheap parts, sometimes even creating gas leaks to frighten them. Investigators warned that their actions could have led to a deadly explosion, similar to the 2023 tragedy in Novosibirsk that killed 15 people. In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we examine how fear became a business model — and how close the Komi Republic came to catastrophe.