Russia's 'Dubak' challenge creates icy works of art

Image source, Elena Deleske

Image caption, Elena Deleske in Tobolsk, Siberia did the Dubak challenge with a sunset backdrop

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Temperatures of -40C (-40F) and -50C (-58F) in parts of eastern Russia haven't stopped people getting out and having some fun in the snow and ice.

According to the state news agency TASS, current temperatures in Russia are much colder than average for the time of year.

Unsurprisingly, the trick of throwing boiling water in the air and watching it turn into ice - which was popular in North America during the polar vortex - has become a trend. People across the country have been taking part in the "Dubak" challenge, which is Russian slang for bitingly cold weather.

Image source, Olga Shklyarova

Image caption, In Yekaterinburg, east of the Ural Mountains, Olga Shklyarova took this image of a round cloud of ice

Image source, Nastya Starodubtseva

Image caption, Jumping for joy or to keep warm in the wintry weather in Chelyabinsk a city close to the Ural Mountains

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Image source, Olya Kalinina

Image caption, Olya Kalinina did the Dubak challenge in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia

Image source, Rinat Minkov

Image caption, Rinat Minkov's wheel of ice water

Image source, Alexander Borozdin

Image caption, Alexander Borozdin from Nizhnevartovsk added a touch of colour and used two vessels of water to create this angel-like effect

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Just a word of caution it can be dangerous to throw boiling water into the air in any direction.

By Andree Massiah, 大象传媒 UGC & Social News and Damien Sharkov, 大象传媒 Monitoring