Russians Brave an Icy Dip in Siberia’s Lake Baikal Ahead of New Year

On the banks of Lake Baikal in Siberia, where temperatures plummet to as low as -35 degrees celsius (-31 fahrenheit), around a dozen Russians emerge invigorated after an icy dip. To ring in 2021, the swimmers, known in Russia as “walruses”, run several kilometres through a snowy forest in swimsuits and festive costumes before plunging into the world’s largest freshwater lake.