It happened for the forth time. Since 2006 on the Day of Epiphany the Orthodox Church in cooperation with the Russian Emergency Service arranges the swimming in a ice-hole on the Lena River. This year was not exclusion and what is more this time it was the most ever visited event. People, who wished to clear from sins by dipping three times in blessed waters, should stand in long line. Outside temperature was -26C – 32C, but river water was warm, about +6C.
See the photographs taken at 9.00 pm on Jan. 19, 2009. Read more…
“Yakutsk, Cherrapunji, Hammerfest, La Paz… these are the cities that top the charts. They struggle doggedly against the toughest environmental conditions on our planet to provide their populations with an acceptable level of existence. These cities persist and continue flourishing in places where normally only traditional villages would be expected to survive…”
That’s how the description of France-based Zadig Production’s documentary film “Extreme Cities” starts. It was the ZP crew I did assist a little in terms of information and contacts prior to its visit in Yakutsk a year ago. In my turn, I am proud to share the promo video of “Extreme Cities: Episode One YAKUTSK” with a film’s annotation. Read more…
Wish you bright warm days all the year round, your dreams come true, health, prosperity and happiness not leaving your beloved and you! Read more…
Yeee, we are in the midst of intensely cold weather. December is prominent here for minus 40 degrees Celsius (-40F). The first day with registered -40C was December 5, 2008. Praise God, there were no strong winds, otherwise we couldn’t stand it. Read more…
Real winter arrived in Yakutsk. Fog, cold, slow driving became a part of our daily life. Watch the 30-sec video shot on Dec. 7, 2008. That’s the view on the intersection from my window. Read more…
Today I was interviewed by a RussiaToday TV Channel reporter. The channel has the program “Russia Close-Up”. It’s a unique series on RT, travelling to hard-to-reach places, revealing the answers to your questions. Last 20 days a RT team was travelling across the region and has aired many videos. Some of them are available on YouTube. Check it out. Read more…
Just decided to take pictures of what I see daily on the way to my job place and back home. Read more…
Stumbled upon an amazing blog. Her owner is Susan Hicks, an American researcher. She is conducting research for her PhD dissertation in cultural anthropology in Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold, where she has been living since January, 2008. Read more…
Last December Shaun Walker, The Independent’s Moscow-based correspondent, wrote a great feature story about Yakutsk. He depicted how locals managed to live in the city that reminded more as a Siberian freezer. I gave him some support while he was in Yakutsk. Then he sent me his photographs attached to the mentioned story and gave me permission to post them on my weblog. Read more…
PROFILE: Ayaal I. Stepanov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Read more…
