Image
© RIA Novosti / Alexei FurmanThe military is also involved in rescuing the city from its snowbound condition.
A state of emergency has been declared in Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Saturday as the city is paralyzed by heavy snowfall and blizzard totally abnormal for March.

"Due to the deterioration of weather conditions [heavy snowfall, blizzards, snow-banks] a state of emergency is declared in the capital," the statement by the Kiev State Administration said.

The situation in the city is so dire that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has signed a special decree urging all government agencies to provide maximum assistance to victims of the snowstorm.

The military is also involved in rescuing the city from its snowbound condition as 550 servicemen are deployed to the capital to aid the community services.

Besides 253 snow-cleaning vehicles, 13 armored fighting vehicles are being used to tow stranded cars, with 270 trucks, 540 cars, 83 buses and 15 trolleybuses already removed from snow banks.

The government has created a crisis center to tackle the snowfalls, which is being personally overseen by Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov.
Image
© AFP Photo/Sergei SupinskyAn elderly man walks near snow covered cars during a heavy storm in the Ukraine capital Kiev on March 23, 2013.
"In these difficult conditions, the government calls on everybody to show orderliness, self-restraint, cooperativeness, humanity and, if possible, to join the clean-up efforts in the aftermath of the bad weather, to help each other in tough situations," the government's statement said.

In just one day Kiev saw over 50 millimeters of snowfall - while the entire monthly norm is 47 millimeters.

Community services are ordered to work around the clock, with priority given to cleaning the approaches to the Metro stations and subway stairs, as well entrances to hospitals and grocery stores.

Dozens of flights in Kiev's biggest airport, Boryspil, are delayed or cancelled, with the city's second aerial port, Zhuliany, halting operations altogether.
Image
© ReutersMotorists push a car that is stuck in snow during a blizzard in Ukrainian capital Kiev March 23, 2013.
Meanwhile, bloggers report that some of the city's residents managed to find joy in the tempest as some daredevils was seen snowboarding in the streets.

The weather conditions remain difficult in other parts of Ukraine as well, which led to electricity shortages in almost 400 settlements in the Kiev, Vinnytsia and Poltava Regions.

The highway services are fighting with snow 24/7 in the north of the country, while the southern regions are suffering from heavy rains.

Image
© ReutersA convoy of snow clearing vehicles work along a main road after a heavy snowfall in Kiev, March 23, 2013.
The snow front is moving eastward and is expected to hit Moscow on Saturday evening or Sunday, lasting until almost the end of March. A gale warning is announced in Russia's capital and the Moscow Region.

The synoptic service say that the current March may become the coldest in Moscow in the last 33 years as they forecast temperatures of around minus 9 or 10 degrees Celsius, which is around nine degrees below average.
Image
© ReutersA woman removes snow from her car during a storm in the Ukraine capital Kiev on March 23, 2013.
Heavy snowfalls are already in full swing in Russia's Tula and Lipetsk Regions, with snow-clearing vehicles taking to the streets, while the city of Kursk, the administrative center of Kursk Region, which borders Ukraine, was forced to declare the state of emergency, like Kiev.

Subzero temperatures and snow mixed with rain are causing problems to residents of continental Europe and the British Isles as well, where the current March became the coldest in 50 years.
Image
© AFPSnow covers Windsor Park pitch and stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 22, 2013 as the 2014 World Cup qualifier between Russia and Northern Ireland was postponed due to heavy snow.
Russia's national football team was to play a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland in Belfast on Friday. The match was initially rescheduled to Saturday, but subsequently canceled, with stadium employees failing to remove the ice crust from the pitch.
Image
© AFP Photo/Sergei SupinskyA driver stries to clear snow from a road during a heavy snow storm in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on March 23, 2013.
Image
© RIA Novosti / Alexei FurmanA man cleans his snow covered car after a heavy snow storm in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on March 23, 2013.
Image
© RIA Novosti / Alexei FurmanKiev administration declared a state of emergency in the city after heavy snowfalls paralysed transports in several regions and in Kiev where many international flights were cancelled.
Image
© AFP Photo / Sergei SupinskyTourists carry their luggage during a snow storm in the Ukraine capital Kiev on March 23, 2013.