The Moscow authorities have dumped artificial snow in the city centre for New Year festivities, as this is now the Russian capital's warmest December since 1886, APA reports citing BBC.
The head of Russia's weather forecasting agency, Roman Vilfand, says 2019 was Russia's warmest year on record.
The mild Russian winter is seen as more evidence of global warming - part of a pattern that includes record ice-melting in the polar regions.
A strip of artificial snow now lies on one of Moscow's main avenues - Tverskaya.
A senior city hall official, Alexei Nemeryuk, said the artificial snow on Tverskaya was "a small amount to create a snowboarding hill in time for the New Year celebrations".
Mr Nemeryuk said snowboarders were already having fun on artificial snow dumped in Arbat Street, another Moscow landmark.
On 18 December the temperature in Moscow reached 5.6C, breaking a December record set in 1886.
Colder weather is however expected around New Year, with snow flurries forecast.
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