Meters of snow, endless clearing work Kamchatka is drowning in winter - but not every viral video is real
Icy temperatures claim lives in Kamchatka. The images of the masses of snow seem almost surreal. The Russian peninsula is indeed experiencing an extreme winter. But not everything that is going viral is real.
The winter on the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka is reaching historic dimensions this year. On January 19, 2026, the authorities reported the heaviest snowfall in around 30 years.
In some regions, over two meters of fresh snow fell and temperatures were well below minus 20 degrees in some places.
According to the authorities, at least two people lost their lives in the capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, public transport was temporarily paralyzed and snow clearing services were working non-stop.
When record snow meets fake videos
At the same time, spectacular images and videos showing meter-high walls of snow between high-rise buildings are circulating on social networks and have been clicked millions of times. But beware: not all of them are real.
Fact checkers warn that some of the most dramatic clips were created with the help of artificial intelligence.
The video shows what the situation actually looks like on the ground - and why you should pay close attention to viral snow images at the moment.
