Volgograd residents describe surviving harsh winter

The winter of 2026 in Volgograd Oblast turned out to be unusually harsh, with temperatures consistently dropping below -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) both day and night. Powerful snowstorms worsen the situation, creating additional difficulties for residents.

«I warm myself against the dog — it»s hotter than the radiator«

Anna, a Volgograd resident accustomed to the region«s warm climate, is having a hard time adapting to the abnormal cold. At home, she walks around in felt boots, and at work in a medical facility, she wears a robe over a wool sweater and fleece-lined pants, never parting with a mug of boiling water. — The frost is terrible. At work in the hospital, it»s freezing cold. At night, my shift partner always turns off the radiators in the office for some reason, probably waiting for them to freeze over. She, you see, finds it too hot. In the morning, I turn them on, the pipes seem to heat up, but there«s a draft from the window, even though it»s a new double-glazed unit. The nurse gets so cold that she warms her feet on the radiator when no one is in the treatment room. Patients in the wards lie under blankets, we turn on the split-system for heating, and still people are freezing, — Anna recounts.

At home, it«s also cold due to inefficient heating. — In the apartment, I have to bundle up, — says Anna. — At night, I warm myself against the dog — it»s hotter than the radiator, but it also gets cold, sleeping only under a blanket. The dog is a Miniature Pinscher, half-bald, its delicate white belly is completely unsuited to the thermal trials of this winter. Nevertheless, this stubborn, freezing even in the apartment, puny little male dog categorically refuses to wear a winter jumpsuit or any other clothing for walks — he goes out naked for 5 minutes: just does his business and runs into the entrance, tucking in his paws.

«My feet go numb while commuting to work»

Ksenia, a 22-year-old resident of Volgograd, describes the frost as an ordeal that she endures thanks to an electric heat gun in the office. — Only thanks to this heater are we still alive, — says Ksenia. — Perhaps we are also warmed by hot hearts, full of determination to fulfill our professional-patriotic duty to the native company. If in the office we can somehow survive, then in the adjacent room the cold is terrible, chilling to the bone. It«s better not to go into the restroom at all — it»s a real refrigerator, coming back alive from there is a real quest. I can imagine what electricity bills will come for the office. Good thing we don«t have to pay them.

To minimize exposure to the cold, Ksenia uses a taxi from home to work. — I freeze so much that my whole body shakes, I feel sleepy, nauseous, don«t want to eat anything, and it»s a vicious circle, — she says. — You don«t eat, the body has no energy for heating — you freeze even more. I feel sluggish, almost lose consciousness outside. While commuting to work in a taxi, especially early in the morning, I hope to nap a bit, but from the cold my legs go numb, and I wake up. I wear woolen tights and fleece-lined jeans, a sweatshirt, winter boots and a down jacket, and I»m still terribly cold.

The girl is worried about her health: — I frostbit my face while walking from the bus stop to home — and that«s only 8 minutes… I pray that my kidneys and other organs don»t freeze. There«s no time for laughter here, just to endure this wretched frost.

Other residents also complain about the cold. Olga notes that in apartments they turn on gas stoves for heating, leading to high bills. Irina reports that at work in a kindergarten the temperature drops to +12°C (54°F). Natalya describes public transport as cold, with windows covered in ice and no heating.

At the same time, Volgograd residents noticed that administrative buildings in the districts are always warm. — Spartanovka is freezing. What«s sad in this situation is that it»s cold in schools, kindergartens, and transport, but in the district administrations it«s always warm! Here»s a puzzle and an interesting fact! — says one of the residents.