St. Petersburg Residents Venture Onto Frozen Neva on Frosty Day

On Sunday, despite a ban by the Emergencies Ministry, residents of St. Petersburg strolled along the frozen Neva River and canals. Temperatures dropped below -10 degrees Celsius (14 °F).

Feb 12, 2026

Despite freezing temperatures, St. Petersburg residents venture onto the ice-covered Neva River for leisure walks.
Source:
Pavel Daisi / FONTANKA.RU

On a frosty Sunday, residents of St. Petersburg descended onto the ice of the Neva River and city canals for walks. Some of them approached the Peter and Paul Fortress, while a hovercraft sped by.

A hovercraft speeds past the Peter and Paul Fortress as people walk on the frozen river.

Earlier, the Emergencies Ministry had reported a ban on going onto the ice of the Gulf of Finland and water bodies in St. Petersburg, which was supposed to be in effect until January 25.

On January 25, the city found itself on the periphery of an anticyclone centered over the Middle Volga. The air temperature in St. Petersburg was −9…−11 °C (16…12 °F), and in the Leningrad Region — −9…−14 °C (16…7 °F).

On Monday, light snow is expected, with thermometer readings dropping to −15…−17 °C (5…1 °F) at night, and −10…−12 °C (14…10 °F) during the day; black ice is possible. Until 9 p.m., a «yellow» level of weather danger is in effect due to the risk of minor accumulation of pollutants in the air.

According to the city«s chief meteorologist Alexander Kolesov, the beginning of February in St. Petersburg will be frosty.