Sleeping Outside at –64°C (−83°F) Homeless in the World’s Coldest City  Yakutsk - video Dailymotion

kiun b

Description  Hi! I'm Kiun B, I was born and grew up in the coldest city on Earth - Yakutsk 🥶   I'm a native Siberian and I'm here to share some stories and crazy experiences of growing up in the coldest inhabitant region on Earth, Yakutia.   Welcome to my channel 💙

Transcript

00:00Have you ever truly felt cold? Not just a chill but a cold so fierce it burns your skin,

00:07freezes your breath in the air and turns every minute into a fight to stay alive.

00:12In Yakutsk winter temperatures drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius and sometimes even lower.

00:18Most people can barely survive a few minutes outdoors without protection and yet some have

00:23no choice. No roof, no warmth, nowhere to go. This is the story of Piotr, a homeless man surviving in

00:32one of the coldest cities on earth. Yakutsk is home to around 400,000 residents. Even with heated homes

00:43and warm clothing surviving in this climate is a big challenge but for the roughly 400 homeless

00:48people living here every winter is a battle for survival. Today is relatively warm, only minus 38

00:55degrees Celsius. For Piotr that means he can spend a little more time outside without risking frostbite.

01:03Piotr knows that clothing is his best defense against the cold.

01:07He wears as many layers as possible, bundling up in whatever he can find. Locals often donate jackets,

01:14pants, boots, whatever they can spare. His trousers are always too big, his jacket won't zip but every

01:21extra layer is a lifeline. Piotr is 42 years old. He was not always homeless. He grew up in a village

01:30with his family living a stable and decent life. His parents were working hard providing for their

01:36children but Piotr's path took a different turn. His childhood coincided with the 1990s,

01:43a time of severe economic crisis in Russia. The collapse of the Soviet Union changed everything.

01:49The country plunged into economic chaos, mass unemployment, financial ruin for many families.

01:56Inflation wiped out savings and for many young people like Piotr, the future felt uncertain.

02:02And as we imagine, the moment began this.

02:08It is a baby'skin-tested back in the middle of the world.

02:15It's a baby'skin-tested back in the middle of the world.

02:16A baby'skin-tested back in the middle of the world.

02:19Not only after the day, this is the very beautiful child.

02:22It seems to be a man for a few days.

02:25It's a very difficult time for me to go to university.

02:32It's a very difficult time for me to go to university.

02:37It's a very difficult time for me to go to university.

02:42Peter never made it to university.

02:45Instead, he found himself on the streets,

02:47lost to the harsh realities of life in the city.

02:50Over the years, countless people and social workers have tried to help him,

02:55offering him work, a place to stay, a chance to start over.

02:59But each time, after working for a few days, he disappears,

03:03choosing alcohol over stability.

03:06It's a very difficult time for me to go to university.

03:21Now, he no longer wants to return to a normal life.

03:24He has accepted his fate,

03:26aware that he could have had a different future,

03:29but either unable or unwilling to change his path.

03:33It's a very difficult time.

03:41Winter in Yakutsk is relentless.

03:43For a homeless person, it's a daily fight for survival.

03:46Peter knows this better than anyone.

03:48The temperature can drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius,

03:51and on the coldest night, it reaches minus 64 degrees Celsius.

03:56In these extreme conditions,

03:57even a few minutes outside without proper clothing can be life-threatening.

04:01Yet, Peter has endured this life for years.

04:05Every night he faces the coldest,

04:07most unforgiving city in the world,

04:09alone with no shelter.

04:11Peter drinks vodka every day, believing it keeps him warm.

04:29I'll give it to you.

04:37Peter drinks vodka every day, believing it keeps him warm.

04:40It numbs the pain, dulls the hunger, and makes the cold feel more bearable, at least for a while.

04:46But in reality, alcohol does the opposite.

04:50Many homeless people in Yakutsk do not survive the winter, but Peter does, because he's learned how to survive.

04:57During the coldest night, Peter hides in building entryways, curling up next to the irradiator to stay warm.

05:04For most of the winter, he remains inside, avoiding the freezing cold outside.

05:09Hello.

05:11Hello.

05:13It's the most beautiful place in the land.

05:16Is it cold?

05:18Yes, it's cold.

05:19It's cold.

05:22What should I say to you?

05:24Since after two of my life, I've had no question.

05:28Or imagine?

05:29No.

05:30I didn't understand that.

05:31I didn't understand that.

05:32I remember that.

05:33I even said, I didn't understand.

05:35I didn't understand that.

05:36But the people are going to love it.

05:37I really don't know what that means.

05:38I don't know what that means.

05:40What else do they know?

05:41They don't understand what to do.

05:43Yeah.

05:44I do know what to do.

05:45...

05:49...

05:53...

05:58...

05:59...

06:01...

06:03...

06:05...

06:07In Yakutsk, there are shelters offering warmth, free meal, medical care, and even psychological

06:25support.

06:27But Peter rarely goes there.

06:29The shelters have rules, no drinking, no fight, and a structured daily routine.

06:34For someone like Peter, who has been living on the streets for nearly two decades, the

06:39freedom of his current lifestyle outweighs the comforts of a warm bed and regular meals.

06:45Peter has no stable source of food.

06:47He relies on the kindness of strangers.

06:50Sometimes a passerby gives him a warm meal or money.

06:53On lucky days, someone might offer something substantial, enough to get through the day.

06:58On unlucky days, hunger eats away at him, and he turns to alcohol to forget.

07:03Peter has no strong blood.

07:14I have got the flowers.

07:19I have got the flowers.

07:21I have got the flowers.

07:25And I have the flowers that are from here.

07:31What do you want to eat?

07:35Yes, I eat.

07:37What?

07:39I eat.

07:41I eat.

07:43I eat.

07:45I eat.

07:47I eat.

07:49I eat.

07:51What do you want to eat?

08:09I eat.

08:11I eat.

08:13I eat.

08:15I eat.

08:17I eat.

08:19I eat.

08:21I eat.

08:23I eat.

08:25I eat.

08:27I eat.

08:29I eat.

08:31At night, finding a warm place to sleep is a constant struggle.

08:35Most often, he spends his night in a temporary holding cell at the police station.

08:41In Yakutsk, officers often detain homeless people who are intoxicated, mostly to prevent them from freezing to death in the brutal cold.

08:48Peter is well-known among the police.

08:50The officers let him stay until morning, knowing that out on the streets he might not survive the night.

08:58Some other nights, Peter preferred to sleep in the entryways of apartment buildings.

09:02In Yakutsk, all buildings are heated, including the hallways.

09:08Peter quietly sleeps into these buildings, always choosing ones where residents won't complain.

09:14He stays as silent as possible, trying not to be noticed.

09:18Many locals understand his situation and leave him alone.

09:22Some even leave food or blankets, knowing that a small act of kindness can mean the difference between life and death.

09:30But it's never guaranteed.

09:32Some nights, he is forced out, wandering these frozen streets, searching for another place to hide from the brutal cold.

09:40He knows the danger.

09:42If he falls asleep outside in the wrong place, he may never wake up.

09:46Despite everything, Peter has made peace with his life.

09:52The years on the street have numbed him to the possibility of change.

09:56He no longer dreams of a different future.

09:58Yet somehow, every morning, he wakes up and faces the cold again.

Sleeping Outside at –64°C (−83°F) Homeless in the World’s Coldest City Yakutsk

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