With tens of thousands of elevators in need of replacing, Russia has introduced new safety requirements.
Starting Aug. 1, elevator repairs should not take longer than 24 hours and the evacuation of people stuck inside elevators should take place within 30 minutes.
Elevators must also be equipped with a two-way emergency speaker, a copy of the new regulations on the governmental legal portal said.
The Construction, Housing and Utilities Ministry said in April there are more than 450,000 elevators in high-rise buildings throughout the country, according to the Interfax news agency.
Many, however, were built in Soviet times, with the ministry estimating more than 27,000 elevators required urgent replacing.