Blizzards leave cities from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok buried in snow
Heavy snow blanketed cities across Russia over the weekend, with powerful blizzards hitting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Vladivostok. Snowfall in Moscow broke a 50-year record on Friday, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe, after a severe storm struck the capital and surrounding regions. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport descended into chaos, as flights were delayed or canceled and thousands of passengers waited in the arrivals area for hours on end to collect their luggage. Pulkovo Airport also reported flight delays and cancellations on Saturday as strong winds and snow engulfed St. Petersburg. The city center found itself buried in 26 centimeters (more than 10 inches) of snow. That same day, another storm hit the port city of Vladivostok in the Far East, with snowfall continuing into Sunday. Meduza shares photos from the winter storms sweeping Russia.
Moscow
Vasily Kuzmichyonok / Moskva News Agency Moscow. January 9, 2026. Yaroslav Chingayev / Moskva News Agency Moscow. January 9, 2026.
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Vasily Kuzmichyonok / Moskva News Agency Moscow. January 9, 2026.Vasily Kuzmichyonok / Moskva News Agency Moscow. January 9, 2026.Sergei Bulkin / TASS / ZUMA Press / Scanpix / LETA Cars drive through the snow on Sakharov Avenue in Moscow. January 9, 2026.Stanislav Krasilnikov / Sputnik / Profimedia A man takes pictures surrounded by snowdrifts on Kuznetsky Most Street in central Moscow. January 11, 2026. Alexey Nikolskiy / Sputnik / Profimedia A man shovels snow from around a car in Moscow. January 12, 2026.
The chaos at Sheremetyevo
Maria Branishty / TASS / ZUMA Press / Scanpix / LETA Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow. January 10, 2026.The Breakfast Show Sheremetyevo Airport. January 10, 2026. Maria Branishty / TASS / ZUMA Press / Scanpix / LETA Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow. January 10, 2026.
St. Petersburg
Alexei Danichev / Sputnik / Profimedia A woman walks along an embankment of the Neva River in central St. Petersburg during the snowfall. January 10, 2026. Olga Maltseva / AFP / Scanpix / LETA People ride snow tubes in Gatchina, a town outside of St. Petersburg. January 11, 2026.
Vladivostok
Yuri Smityuk / TASS / ZUMA Press / Scanpix / LETA A woman photographed in a snowbank in Vladivostok. January 10, 2026.Yuri Smityuk / TASS / ZUMA Press / Scanpix / LETA A man shovels a city street in Vladivostok amid strong winds and heavy snowfall. January 10, 2026. Yuri Smityuk / TASS / Profimedia Vladivostok. January 10, 2026.
