MORE THAN 150 people have died as a freezing Siberian weather front sweeps across Europe, playing havoc with everything from transport and power networks to major political rallies.
With Moscow blanketed in snow and temperatures expected to hover around minus 20 degrees in the coming days, Russia’s chief public health officer Gennady Onishchenko advised his compatriots to stay at home tomorrow, rather than attending protests in the capital.
“If the forecast is correct, then I categorically advise against taking part in these events,” Dr Onischenko said. “No tea or other warm drink will save you and it might even have a bad effect. It’s better to stay away and find another way of helping to build a happier state.”
Opposition activists, who hope at least 50,000 will attend their latest protest against prime minister Vladimir Putin and alleged vote-rigging in December’s general election, have rejected the advice.
Dr Onishchenko is best known internationally for banning on health grounds the import of food and drinks from states that refuse to toe Moscow’s line, including Georgia and Moldova.
In December, he urged Russians not to attend protests because of the danger of catching flu.
While Russia appears to be coping relatively well with the cold spell, neighbouring Ukraine is struggling to help some 40,000 homeless people who have sought refuge in temporary shelters.
Most of the 63 Ukrainians who died from cold-related problems in the last week were homeless. In villages near the city of Odessa on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, some 40,000 people were cut off from the rest of the country by heavy snowfall.
In the last week, 29 Poles and 22 Romanians have died due to sudden blizzards and a sharp drop in temperature after a mild start to the winter.
Several people have also died in Bulgaria, where many towns suffered record-low temperatures and bank machines froze up in the capital, Sofia.
In Serbia, emergency services were trying to get supplies to more than 11,000 people whose mountain villages were snowed in. Helicopters have been used both in Serbia and neighbouring Bosnia to deliver provisions to remote areas, amid warnings of worse weather to come.
The cold has been blamed for the death of seven people in Serbia. Most nearby countries have also reported weather-related fatalities in recent days.
In Georgia, about 60,000 households were without heat and light yesterday after high winds tore roofs off buildings and brought down power lines.
Transport has been severely affected across much of Europe, with airports and Black Sea ports being temporarily closed, ice on the Danube threatening cargo traffic and road and rail networks in many countries being thrown into chaos by blizzards, ice and gales.
Even northern and central Italy have been affected, with hundreds of people having to remain overnight on trains that were stuck in snow.
Major EU energy supplier Gazprom said a recent surge in Russian demand had forced it to reduce gas flow to Europe, but it insisted that there would be no shortages.