Record Snowfall Paralyzes Russia’s Far East, Bringing Fun and Frustration

Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula has been hit by its heaviest snowfall in six decades, leaving cities buried under massive snowdrifts several metres high. In the port city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, extreme winter storms have blocked building entrances, submerged cars and disrupted daily life, according to visuals and data from weather monitoring stations.

Officials said more than two metres of snow has fallen in the first half of January alone, following 3.7 metres recorded in December. Reuters images showed vehicles almost completely buried, with four-wheel drives struggling to move through thick drifts, while residents were forced to dig narrow paths to access apartment buildings and roads.

Despite the disruption, locals have tried to find moments of humour amid the chaos. Videos on Russian media showed people walking along towering snowbanks beside traffic lights, while some jumped off the drifts for fun. “The car has been parked in a snowdrift for a month,” said local photographer Lydmila Moskvicheva, capturing both the frustration and surreal beauty of the historic snowfall.

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