The heaviest snowfall in 60 years on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, in the country's Far East, created huge snowdrifts several meters high, blocking entrances to buildings and burying cars, according to Reuters footage and data from weather stations.
According to meteorological services, more than two meters of snow fell in some areas in the first half of January, after as much as 3,7 meters were recorded in December.
Reuters photos showed cars almost completely buried in snow, as well as off-road vehicles struggling to get through - or completely blocked by large snowdrifts. Residents were forced to dig passages by hand to reach the entrances to apartment buildings.
"I'm planning to take a walk around the city tomorrow, although unfortunately my car has been parked in a snowdrift for a month," said Lyudmila Moskvicheva, a photographer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a port city about 6.800 kilometers east of Moscow.
Videos published in Russian media show citizens walking through snowdrifts at the height of traffic lights, while huge piles of snow several meters high stretch along the roads.
Some were climbing down and jumping down the snowdrifts for fun.
Bonus video:
