00:00Meet Elena, the only woman in the world working on frozen ships, in temperatures so extreme
00:20that most people can't even step outside.
00:24For 15 years, she has spent her winters clearing ice from ships trapped in Yakutsk frozen river.
00:30She has to clear the ice to access the machinery underneath the ships that needs repair.
00:36Her job is crucial, these ships must be repaired during winter so they are ready to bring supplies
00:41as soon as the ice melts.
00:43With no railway and a massive river cutting the city off, ships are the only way to deliver
00:49food, fuel and other essentials.
00:53Since summer is the only time for transporting supplies, ship maintenance has to be done
00:58in the brutal cold of winter.
01:00Elena works from sunrise to sunset in temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.
01:05With no weekends, no breaks, in this frozen world her job never stops.
01:11In 2009, I arrived.
01:16In 2010, I came to work on the factory.
01:19And there I started to see how it was in winter, how it was cold.
01:23I went to the manager and asked me if I could try it.
01:27He looked at me and said, you want to try it?
01:31I tried it, it turned out, it liked it.
01:34Once winter locks the vessels in place, there is no time to waste.
01:47When the ice melts in spring, these ships must be ready to haul thousands of tons of cargo
01:52across Yakutia.
01:53Every lost day of shipping means remote villages risk running out of food, fuel and supplies.
02:01Elena knows the urgency.
02:03She works tirelessly to clear ships from thick layers of ice so they can be repaired.
02:09The work is tough and precise.
02:11All the crucial parts that need to be repaired, including the propellers, rudders and other
02:16essential machinery are trapped beneath thick ice under the ship.
02:21To reach them, Elena cuts tunnels beneath the ships.
02:31The process is slow and physically exhausting.
02:34Every movement drains a lot of energy in the extreme cold.
02:38There are no breaks, no warm shelters.
02:40If she stops, she freezes.
02:42If she goes inside, her clothes get wet and stepping back out in this cold could be deadly.
02:50After just 20 minutes outside, my camera team started to feel the cold creeping in.
02:55You could see how quickly the harsh temperature take their toll.
02:59The dark will see them.
03:01And I think that, in a way, it's important to warm weather from Earth.
03:03Another thing is that, naturally, it's a set of warm under the air, which we are ready to eat.
03:05The fireplace is a warmest smell.
03:06So, it's a bigisso.
03:07The cold cup of water are almost a bit more.
03:08The cold cup of water.
03:09The cold cup...
03:10That is an open cup of water.
03:11The cold cup of water is like a cold water.
03:12The cold cup is always offset under the air when you are on the air.
03:13There are all the hot water.
03:14The cold cup of water is packed up.
03:15It's tough.
03:16We all have to take it.
03:17All the hot water is going to drink your blood.
03:19But the warmest hot cup of water is not to drink and take the cold coke.
03:21I don't want to drink tea, because it's starting to get wet, it's just a little cold or cold water.
03:30We need to drink water, because you'll get tired.
03:34But in the middle of the toilet, it's not.
03:37And for men, of course, it's easier.
03:40They're where they're hiding, but it's problematic.
03:44But it's, according to me, a combination.
03:48I don't want to take a shower, it's very cold.
03:52So, when you're in the morning, it's time for the morning and evening,
03:58it's not good and you don't want to go.
04:00Because again, it's all up.
04:03We used to get to it, we were born here,
04:07so it's, I think, already genetic,
04:13but I don't want to get sick.
04:17With the heart, there were problems.
04:19Now, this heart, you see, the cardiac load,
04:23I was able to get sick, but it's good.
04:29Elena's work is not just exhausting, it's dangerous.
04:32She uses heavy, sharp tools to break apart thick layers of ice.
04:37One wrong move and she could injure herself badly.
04:41But the real danger lies beneath.
04:43If she cuts slightly too deep,
04:45deep, pressurized water can burst like a fountain, refreezing the tunnels she spent days clearing.
04:51In an instant all her hard work could be wiped away and worse, the icy water could trap her
04:57inside.
04:58Every cut must be precise, there is no room for mistakes.
05:15There was a lot of blood, so my legs were a little wet, but I felt a lot of pain.
05:25So, we got a little stuck to it.
05:30Well, I had a good friend.
05:32From the wood, the water came out, and I got stuck to it.
05:40If there wasn't a partner next to me, the water is coming for a minute.
05:48Or you'll be able to remove it, but when you're wet, if you have panic, it's not so easy to leave.
05:56Elena earns around $1,000 per ship.
06:00Her full work takes about half a month and in a single winter she manages to repair six ships.
06:06$6,000 for several months of grueling labor in temperatures most people would not last an hour in.
06:13When the ice finally melts and the river comes back to life, Elena's work isn't over.
06:18She switches job becoming a crane operator, loading and unloading the very ships she spent the winter repairing.
06:25The season changes, but the work never stops.
06:29Elena has five children and everything she does, she does for them.
06:36It's a big fish.
06:39It's a big fish.
06:41It's a big fish.
06:43It's a big fish.
06:45When I got caught, yeah...
06:49What's the thing about it?
06:51I don't care.
06:52But I can't do it again...
06:57I wonder why we have to leave out here.
07:01It's a little better than I have to stay here.
07:04But for this too
07:15After a long exhausting day Elena returns home where more work awaits.
07:27Her first priority is warming the house, with no central heating she relies on coal to keep
07:33the cold at bay.
07:35Heating the stove twice a day is essential, once in the morning before she leaves for
07:39work and again in the evening when she returns.
07:43But even with the stove burning steadily the house struggles to retain heat.
07:48During the coldest days when temperatures can dip below minus 50 degrees celsius the
07:52house never quite feels warm enough.
07:55The walls, windows and floors remain chilled and the air always carries a bite of frost.
08:05The task of feeding the stove is a constant one.
08:08Oil is expensive and Elena must carefully ration it to make sure the fire lasts through the
08:13night.
08:19Once the house is warm enough she turns her attention to her animals.
08:24In her small barn Elena cares for her goats and chickens keeping them sheltered from the
08:28harsh winter.
08:31Elena's routine is fixed, shaped by the cold and her responsibilities.
08:35From checking on her animals, to maintaining her car, to ensuring that every corner of her
08:40home is functioning properly despite the freezing conditions.
08:44Time for rest is a luxury she simply can't afford.
08:50Elena grew up in a small village in Yakutia where work wasn't a choice, it was a way of survival.
08:56Her first job was a dairy farm worker milking cows before sunrise.
09:01From there she took on whatever work she could find, farm worker, lab assistant, cleaner and
09:07even a pastry chef.
09:08But life was not easy.
09:10In 2009 Elena made the hardest decision of her life.
09:14She left her village with her children, escaping a broken marriage.
09:18She packed up what little she had and headed to a small town near Yakutsk.
09:23She had no plan, no job waiting, just a desperate need for a fresh start.
09:29She worked wherever she could, slowly rebuilding her life.
09:34As a mother, Elena's daily life is a constant balancing act.
09:38After hours of grueling work in the cold, she returned home to care for her youngest daughter,
09:44just 7 years old.
09:46Her older 4 children are already grown and have families of their own.
09:50And Elena is proud that, through hard work with no weekends or breaks, she raised them
09:55all on her own.
09:57Despite the exhaustion weighed heavily on her, she never shows it.
10:02Her daughter needs her and Elena's love for her family gives her the strength to continue.
10:08Every day she is not just a worker, she is a mother, making sure her daughter is fed,
10:13educated and loved.
10:15Elena dreams for her children.
10:16She dreams of a future where they don't have to fight the cold in the same way she does.
10:21She hopes her daughter will one day have choices, opportunities and a life that is not defined
10:26by the freezing temperatures of Yakutia.
10:28And we buy the fuel, we have the water, we buy the water, we buy the water, we buy the water.
10:35We pay it expensive, we pay it expensive, we will pay the clothes, and all this, and all this.
10:40And I don't have to pay for it as a fee.
10:41And I need to pay for it somewhere else.
10:44And we pay for it to live this winter.
10:49The most important dream is to buy a house.
10:53It's the only and the most famous dream dream to buy a house
10:57and live with a good, with a busy trip.
11:01You come home and rest.
11:03We don't have such a luxury yet.
11:08You come and open the stove,
11:12to help at least reduce the washing.
11:15I always wash my hands.
11:16It's very difficult to come back after such a job.
11:21That's why I have a dream to have a house.
11:26And with the children, to go somewhere and go and rest.
11:30I think this is a dream soon.
11:38Elena's story deeply moved me, a reminder of the quiet heroes who faced the impossible day in and day out.
11:46In every corner of the world, there are people like Elena living lives that are shaped by the extreme challenges and hardships we often don't see.
11:55We all have different paths, different struggles, but it's these everyday heroes who remind us of the strengths of the human spirit.
12:03Elena's story is a powerful testament to resilience and determination, showing that no matter the challenges we face, hard work and persistence can help us push forward and never give up.
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