Across Russia, creaking infrastructure and a wave of accidents have plunged households into the cold in the depth of winter, fueling rare showings of public frustration.

Two electric radiators were not enough to keep Russian pensioner Elena Grezkaya-Silko from shivering in her one-bedroom apartment.

After two major utility network accidents last month, she struggled to stay warm at home in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, where temperatures regularly dip below minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit in January.

After the first accident Jan. 11, due to what authorities said was a defect in the main heating network, the heating batteries inside her apartment went cold, with only lukewarm and intermittent heating in her bathroom and kitchen. Then, a hot water pipe burst on the street near her building Jan. 17, sending a geyser of hot water and steam into the air.

Her bedroom remained “icy cold” after that, she told NBC News in a phone interview last month.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    34
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    To those not familiar with Flaffenfeit here on World News:
    4 Flaffenfeit is about -3 ounces or 2 feet AFAIK.

      • rmuk@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        9 months ago

        My truck gets ¹/₂₄₀ Manhattan per Single Tear Of Patriotic Pride Shed As I Salute The Crippled Veteran Panhandling Outside The Gun Store and that’s how I want it.

    • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      9 months ago

      I don’t see the word “Flaffenfeit” written anywhere, it doesn’t even show up in search engine searches of the term. Is it a unit of volume, weight, or distance? Or am I whooshing on a joke?

      • GiantFloppyCock@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        9 months ago

        Yeah it’s a joke - fahrenheit is what they’re making fun of, probably especially because it would be more appropriate to use celsius in the context of “world news”.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        9 months ago

        Flaffenfeit is a spoof unit that makes little sense as either length, weight, temperature or energy, like Imperial.
        Unlike metric where 1cm3 of water is 1g and take 1 calorie to heat 1°C. And water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100. With metric I can convert easily in my head, for instance adding 2dl water to 200g of flour, can be easily done on the weight without needing a measurement cup. Likewise calculating between inch, yard, mile is not easy. Where cm, meter and km is as easy as pie.