In Moscow on Thursday, the thermometer columns fell to -25.2 degrees Celsius, a frost that the Russian capital has not seen in 74 years, and 12 to 13 degrees below normal, forecasters revealed.
Residents of St. Petersburg also tied their scarves tighter than usual, pulled out their warmest clothes or huddled near radiators as they experienced the coldest day in a decade, with air temperatures ranging from -24 to -28 degrees Celsius.
The climate, perhaps determined to reinforce the stereotype that Russia is one of the coldest countries in the world, has turned the country's megacities into the settings for Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" or Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining."
Check out Sputnik Africa's photo gallery of frosty Moscow and St. Petersburg!