Massive Crack Forms in Lake Baikal Ice

A 10-kilometer-long crack has been discovered in the ice of Lake Baikal, stretching from the Circum-Baikal Railway to Sukhoy Ruchey village, with ice thickness as low as 25 centimeters.

Feb 17, 2026

The extensive crack highlights safety risks with thin ice and infrastructure embedded in the frozen lake surface.
Source:
Vitaly Sidorov / baikal-1.ru

A huge crack has formed on Lake Baikal due to ice rupture. According to the press service of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Zapovednoye Pribaikalye», it stretches from the 145th kilometer of the Circum-Baikal Railway to the village of Sukhoy Ruchey, with a width of 15 to 30 centimeters and ice thickness at the edge no more than 25 centimeters.

The crack was discovered by state inspectors of the reserve on January 26.

“The height of splashes on the shore reaches several meters, and in the ice there are both railway structures and coastal trees. This circumstance must be taken into account when hiking along the «Circum-Baikal Railway» route. Access to Lake Baikal«s ice is prohibited,” noted the reserve.

According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) for the Irkutsk Region, ice ruptures are also observed in the areas of the villages of Listvyanka and Buguldeyka. In places, open water and numerous cracks are visible.

Overall, according to EMERCOM, the average ice thickness on Baikal is currently 20 centimeters.