In January–June 2026, 11.3 thousand elevators were installed in Russia — 28% less than a year earlier, according to calculations by the Russian Elevator Association. A decline was recorded for 15 out of 20 largest players, including Shcherbinsky Elevator Building Plant and Meteor Lift. At the same time, the metropolitan KMZ increased installations by 36%, taking over Moscow's state orders.

The reason for the contraction is capital repair programs. Excluding Moscow, the demand for elevators to replace outdated equipment plummeted by 24%. Regions purchased only 6.4 thousand elevators out of 21.4 thousand put up for auction — the remaining volume went to the capital. Against this background, Chinese elevators are actively taking over the commercial segment, with their share growing from 18.7% to 24%. According to market participants, Asian equipment, due to state support at home, can be 30–40% cheaper than Russian.

On the morning of July 16, it became known about an elevator falling with people in the Zapad tower of Moscow City from the seventh floor. Emergency services denied this information: no reports of such an incident were received. Later it became known that in the Federatsiya tower, an elevator stopped due to a false fire alarm — without casualties or evacuation.

Fears surrounding elevators are fueled not only by isolated malfunctions but also by the overall figure: by 2030, about 88 thousand elevators that have served their term need to be replaced in the country.