1. Wide shot of busy Moscow street with view of the Kremlin 2. Mid shot of time and temperature readings on exterior of Central Telegraph, Moscow 3. Close up temperature reading 4. Wide shot of fishermen on a frozen lake in Moscow suburbs 5. Wide shot of fishermen walking across the ice 6. Mid shot of fisherman on ice with ice-drill in the foreground 7. Mid shot of an old fisherwoman on the ice 8. Close up fish 9. SOUNDBITE (Russian): Alexander, fisherman: "It's dangerous when the snow begins to melt and it's difficult to get on (the ice) from the bank. That's when it starts to get dangerous, but now ... at the moment it's not dangerous." 10. Wide shot of Strogino Water Rescue Station hovercraft gliding across the ice 11. Wide shot of hovercraft on the ice 12. Mid shot of officer on a radio inside hovercraft 13. Wide shot pan across group of fishermen on the ice 14. Close up of hovercraft's flashing tail lights 15. Mid shot of hovercraft sliding to a standstill 16. Cutaway to fisherman infront of hovercraft 17. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Viktor Pavelovich Nakhatovitch, chief of the Strogino Water Rescue Station: "They (the fishermen) enjoy it - to them it's like a drug. They can't go without fishing and they will walk onto the ice right up to the last moment, when the ice has started to melt away from the banks." 18. Cutaway of two fishermen talking. 19. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Viktor Pavelovich Nakhatovitch, chief of the Strogino Water Rescue Station: "In the next week, the temperatures will start to rise. In a week's time, there will practically be no ice. But for the moment, there remains enough ice." 20. Cutaway pan of hovercraft moving across the ice. 21. Wideshot of a paraglider buzzing past a group of fishermen. 22. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Viktor, fisherman: "I'll stay until the last of the ice." (Q: "And when will that be?") "Around the middle of March." 23. Wide shot of two fishermen walking across the ice 24. Mid shot fisherman sitting on the ice 25. Close shot of fishing line dropped into a hole in the ice 26. Mid shot of solitary fisherman, sitting on the ice STORYLINE: If there is one thing Russians enjoy more than drinking vodka, it's ice fishing. During the long winter months when the ponds, lakes and rivers are covered by several metres of ice - fishermen bore holes in the ice, sit on wooden boxes and dangle a simple line and hook to catch fish. For some, ice fishing is a chance to get away from the confines of a stuffy flat or a nagging wife and enjoy a bit of, albeit cold, outdoor relaxation. But for many, fishing is a substantial way to supplement their pitiful incomes and put something fresh on the dinner table. For some, it's almost an addiction. Fishermen and women therefore spend almost every day on the ice, right up to when the thaws come and the ice starts to get perilously thin. Such is their enjoyment - or necessity to fish - that some Russians do not pay heed to the rising temperatures and melting ice. They continue to walk across the ice and fish. It's at this time of year in Russia's capital, that the Moscow Water Rescue Stations start pulling more and more fishermen out of the water - water that is still well below freezing. If the ice breaks beneath them and a fisherman goes into the water, he does not have long to try and get himself out. The fact that many fishermen are old or have been sitting still for a long time and are therefore stiff, falling into the freezing water leaves little hope for survival. This winter has been particularly mild in Moscow, with February temperatures nearing 0 degrees Celsius and the ice is already thin. Earlier in the week, the temperature was a balmy plus 3 degrees Celsius. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ef26b43e64734e889631ea9d3f99f1f2 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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