A woman has shared what it's like to live in one of the coldest places on Earth - where the temperature is as low as -50 degrees Celsius and their food freezes outside.<br /><br />Yulia Lytkina, 35, grew up in the Sakha Republic in the east of Russia, where water freezes before it even hits the ground.<br /><br />Also known as Yakutia, the area plunges as low as -50 degrees in winter and natives have to wear special clothes boots and jackets to survive it.<br /><br />Yulia says car owners must cover their vehicles with special sheeting and have to auto-start the engines every two hours to prevent them freezing overnight.<br /><br />In Yulia's hometown of Yakutia, rivers become roads in winter because they freeze - and people turn off their freezers because their food stays frozen just left outside.<br /><br />But despite the extreme weather, Yulia said the beauty of the region makes it all worth it - and it makes inhabitants more resilient too.<br /><br />Yulia, a graphic designer and photographer - who has since moved to Aukland, New Zealand, but still has family in Russia - said: "Growing up I never knew Yakutia was the coldest place, I just thought it was the normal conditions of life.<br /><br />"But when I grew up, I started travelling and visited other places in Russia, and watched movies, and realised it’s pretty uncommon.<br /><br />"The worst part about living in Yakutia is the remote location from the rest of the world, undeveloped roads, and expensive prices.<br /><br />"But the best part about living in Yakutia is its nature, sometimes challenging by its harshness - but very beautiful."<br /><br />Yulia, who posts on TikTok under @yuliavvanne, grew up in Yakutia without realising how extreme the weather was because it had been all she ever knew.<br /><br />While she left to move to New Zealand for work in 2020, her retired mother, Olga Rumiantseva, 53, and younger sister, Anastasia Rumiantseva, 16, a student, still live there.<br /><br />She explained while it's exceptionally cold in her hometown outside in winter, summers can reach a balmy 30 degrees - so they don't need heating all year round.<br /><br />While the temperatures are low, they have a big power station to provide heating and electricity to all homes in the city, but some people choose to use gas heating or fireplaces too.<br /><br />Yulia said: "We can experience really low temperatures when we go outside because we know when we go inside it will be warm again."<br /><br />She said when they do go outside in the winter months, special clothes must be worn to insulate themselves.<br /><br />They buy warm coats packed with down and special Yakutian boots called untuu, which are made of reindeer fur and thick felt.<br /><br />They also wear a traditional fur hat to keep the head warm.<br /><br />Yulia said: "The most essential thing is shoes - you have to buy these specific ones, other boots or brands are never enough.<br /><br />"We only have one coat, one pair of boots, and one hat for the whole winter - because the whole outfit will cost nearly 113,000 Russian Ruble (£1,000)."<br /><br />During winter people turn off their freezers and store their food outside to save energy, because it stays frozen outside.<br /><br />This is why winter months see rivers turned into giant roads to theoretically allow people access to the bigger cities - but it comes at a price.<br /><br />She said many people choose not to own cars - because it's such an expense to maintain them in the cold.<br /><br />Cars stored outside in winter need to be covered with a "puffy blanket" at night time but need to be switched on regularly so they don't freeze.<br /><br />Some people choose to have a heated garage - but most don't, as Yulia says the expense to keep the garage warm "costs more than the car".<br /><br />So people mostly choose to get public transport or taxis during winter - and boats in summer when the water isn't frozen over.<br /><br />In spring and autumn where the ice may be partially melted, it can cause problems.<br /><br />Yulia said: "In those months we're not allowed to cross the river because it may have started melting and not be thick enough.<br /><br />"We're kind of blocked in there.<br /><br />"My mum and sister have small shops nearby for food, but if they need to see a doctor or a specialist they need to go to the capital, Yakutsk.<br /><br />"Sometimes it can be problematic then - or if they need to go to the airport to travel they must cross the river."<br /><br />There is a form of public transport available to buy tickets for which can cross both ice and water - but it's not cheap.<br /><br />Despite of the challenges, Yulia loves her home - and said growing up in such harsh conditions made her stronger as a person.<br /><br />She said: "I grew up experiencing all the ranges of seasons and temperatures.<br /><br />"I love how that environment developed my personality, being stress resilient, patient, hardworking and creative."
