Residents of Moscow and western Russian regions braced for more Arctic temperatures on Wednesday as a cold front that has taxed municipal heating systems in Siberia pushed westward.
Temperatures in the Russian capital dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius overnight and were forecast to go lower by Friday as utility officials announced evening limitations on electricity supplies for industrial customers.
Russian news agencies said at least four people had died of exposure in the past 24 hours in Moscow and another 11 were hospitalised. East of Moscow, forecasters recorded temperatures of minus 29 degrees Celsius.
Early last month, a cold wave known to Russians as the Epiphany Front pushed temperatures as low as minus 38 degrees Celsius in Moscow.
Nationwide, this winter — the coldest in Moscow since 1978/79 — has severely strained Russia’s crumbling infrastructure. Electricity use has surged to record levels as towns and cities struggle to keep indoor temperatures up and Russians turn to supplemental heating sources including electric radiators to keep warm.
RIA-Novosti, citing emergency officials, said thousands across the country have been left without heat, which in most Russian towns and cities is supplied by a centralised municipal system.
Meanwhile, in the distant Far Eastern region of Kolyma — on the other side of the vast country — temperatures were forecast to plunge to minus 60 degrees Celsius. — Sapa-AP