The history of “housing issue” The “housing issue” – “кварти´рный вопро´с” – has been bothering Russians for quite a time. In Soviet times, it was impossible to simply buy an apartment, and even renting was only semi-legal: All property belonged to the state and was distributed, i.e. actually rented, to the population. But people were thronging to the cities, which failed to keep up with the demand. Hence, people had…