Woman shares what it's like to live in one of the coldest places on Earth
- 3 months ago
A woman has shared what it's like to live in one of the coldest places on Earth - where the temperature is as low as -50 degrees Celsius and their food freezes outside.
Yulia Lytkina, 35, grew up in the Sakha Republic in the east of Russia, where water freezes before it even hits the ground.
Also known as Yakutia, the area plunges as low as -50 degrees in winter and natives have to wear special clothes boots and jackets to survive it.
Yulia says car owners must cover their vehicles with special sheeting and have to auto-start the engines every two hours to prevent them freezing overnight.
In Yulia's hometown of Yakutia, rivers become roads in winter because they freeze - and people turn off their freezers because their food stays frozen just left outside.
But despite the extreme weather, Yulia said the beauty of the region makes it all worth it - and it makes inhabitants more resilient too.
Yulia, a graphic designer and photographer - who has since moved to Aukland, New Zealand, but still has family in Russia - said: "Growing up I never knew Yakutia was the coldest place, I just thought it was the normal conditions of life.
"But when I grew up, I started travelling and visited other places in Russia, and watched movies, and realised it’s pretty uncommon.
"The worst part about living in Yakutia is the remote location from the rest of the world, undeveloped roads, and expensive prices.
"But the best part about living in Yakutia is its nature, sometimes challenging by its harshness - but very beautiful."
Yulia, who posts on TikTok under @yuliavvanne, grew up in Yakutia without realising how extreme the weather was because it had been all she ever knew.
While she left to move to New Zealand for work in 2020, her retired mother, Olga Rumiantseva, 53, and younger sister, Anastasia Rumiantseva, 16, a student, still live there.
She explained while it's exceptionally cold in her hometown outside in winter, summers can reach a balmy 30 degrees - so they don't need heating all year round.
While the temperatures are low, they have a big power station to provide heating and electricity to all homes in the city, but some people choose to use gas heating or fireplaces too.
Yulia said: "We can experience really low temperatures when we go outside because we know when we go inside it will be warm again."
She said when they do go outside in the winter months, special clothes must be worn to insulate themselves.
They buy warm coats packed with down and special Yakutian boots called untuu, which are made of reindeer fur and thick felt.
They also wear a traditional fur hat to keep the head warm.
Yulia said: "The most essential thing is shoes - you have to buy these specific ones, other boots or brands are never enough.
"We only have one coat, one pair of boots, and one hat for the whole winter - because the whole outfit will cost nearly 113,000 Russian Ruble (£1,000)."
During winter people turn off their freezers and store their food outside to save energy, because it stays frozen outside.
This is why winter months see rivers turned into giant roads to theoretically allow people access to the bigger cities - but it comes at a price.
She said many people choose not to own cars - because it's such an expense to maintain them in the cold.
Cars stored outside in winter need to be covered with a "puffy blanket" at night time but need to be switched on regularly so they don't freeze.
Some people choose to have a heated garage - but most don't, as Yulia says the expense to keep the garage warm "costs more than the car".
So people mostly choose to get public transport or taxis during winter - and boats in summer when the water isn't frozen over.
In spring and autumn where the ice may be partially melted, it can cause problems.
Yulia said: "In those months we're not allowed to cross the river because it may have started melting and not be thick enough.
"We're kind of blocked in there.
"My mum and sister have small shops nearby for food, but if they need to see a doctor or a specialist they need to go to the capital, Yakutsk.
"Sometimes it can be problematic then - or if they need to go to the airport to travel they must cross the river."
There is a form of public transport available to buy tickets for which can cross both ice and water - but it's not cheap.
Despite of the challenges, Yulia loves her home - and said growing up in such harsh conditions made her stronger as a person.
She said: "I grew up experiencing all the ranges of seasons and temperatures.
"I love how that environment developed my personality, being stress resilient, patient, hardworking and creative."
Yulia Lytkina, 35, grew up in the Sakha Republic in the east of Russia, where water freezes before it even hits the ground.
Also known as Yakutia, the area plunges as low as -50 degrees in winter and natives have to wear special clothes boots and jackets to survive it.
Yulia says car owners must cover their vehicles with special sheeting and have to auto-start the engines every two hours to prevent them freezing overnight.
In Yulia's hometown of Yakutia, rivers become roads in winter because they freeze - and people turn off their freezers because their food stays frozen just left outside.
But despite the extreme weather, Yulia said the beauty of the region makes it all worth it - and it makes inhabitants more resilient too.
Yulia, a graphic designer and photographer - who has since moved to Aukland, New Zealand, but still has family in Russia - said: "Growing up I never knew Yakutia was the coldest place, I just thought it was the normal conditions of life.
"But when I grew up, I started travelling and visited other places in Russia, and watched movies, and realised it’s pretty uncommon.
"The worst part about living in Yakutia is the remote location from the rest of the world, undeveloped roads, and expensive prices.
"But the best part about living in Yakutia is its nature, sometimes challenging by its harshness - but very beautiful."
Yulia, who posts on TikTok under @yuliavvanne, grew up in Yakutia without realising how extreme the weather was because it had been all she ever knew.
While she left to move to New Zealand for work in 2020, her retired mother, Olga Rumiantseva, 53, and younger sister, Anastasia Rumiantseva, 16, a student, still live there.
She explained while it's exceptionally cold in her hometown outside in winter, summers can reach a balmy 30 degrees - so they don't need heating all year round.
While the temperatures are low, they have a big power station to provide heating and electricity to all homes in the city, but some people choose to use gas heating or fireplaces too.
Yulia said: "We can experience really low temperatures when we go outside because we know when we go inside it will be warm again."
She said when they do go outside in the winter months, special clothes must be worn to insulate themselves.
They buy warm coats packed with down and special Yakutian boots called untuu, which are made of reindeer fur and thick felt.
They also wear a traditional fur hat to keep the head warm.
Yulia said: "The most essential thing is shoes - you have to buy these specific ones, other boots or brands are never enough.
"We only have one coat, one pair of boots, and one hat for the whole winter - because the whole outfit will cost nearly 113,000 Russian Ruble (£1,000)."
During winter people turn off their freezers and store their food outside to save energy, because it stays frozen outside.
This is why winter months see rivers turned into giant roads to theoretically allow people access to the bigger cities - but it comes at a price.
She said many people choose not to own cars - because it's such an expense to maintain them in the cold.
Cars stored outside in winter need to be covered with a "puffy blanket" at night time but need to be switched on regularly so they don't freeze.
Some people choose to have a heated garage - but most don't, as Yulia says the expense to keep the garage warm "costs more than the car".
So people mostly choose to get public transport or taxis during winter - and boats in summer when the water isn't frozen over.
In spring and autumn where the ice may be partially melted, it can cause problems.
Yulia said: "In those months we're not allowed to cross the river because it may have started melting and not be thick enough.
"We're kind of blocked in there.
"My mum and sister have small shops nearby for food, but if they need to see a doctor or a specialist they need to go to the capital, Yakutsk.
"Sometimes it can be problematic then - or if they need to go to the airport to travel they must cross the river."
There is a form of public transport available to buy tickets for which can cross both ice and water - but it's not cheap.
Despite of the challenges, Yulia loves her home - and said growing up in such harsh conditions made her stronger as a person.
She said: "I grew up experiencing all the ranges of seasons and temperatures.
"I love how that environment developed my personality, being stress resilient, patient, hardworking and creative."