With the arrival of winter, the populace of the north part of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is eager to get some extra supplies of vodka to forget about the biting cold and the lack of light. The temperatures are sinking beyond our European comprehension of cold (-35°C to -60°C), raising questions of food supplies as well. It’s the ideal time for people with practical thinking to come to some extra cash.

Most of the men from the area are working as truck drivers (such who are not damaged by alcohol addiction), secretive about the nature of their goods and destinations. It’s the war out there on the snowy roads to Kolyma and Magadan, with every ruble counting. Fair trade is none of it, although it is also not all smuggling and scammy business that will put the food on their tables; strong competition makes it hard...