The road from Poltava to Gadyach has turned into the snow trap for thousand cars, tracks and buses.

Not far from the Monument to the Swedish warriors killed in the Battle of Poltava there is a big depression that has been marked on the old Swedish maps related to the battle as “Stora Ouvragen”. During the winter time there is a lot of snow there. Unfortunately Poltava local authority has forgot about this potential snow trap because the last time such a snowy winter happened was in 1980s. About 150 vehicles have been trapped in snow drifts in the depression close to the village Pobyvanka late evening February 12th. The Emergency Control Ministry’s quick reaction force came in time to relieve helpless local road service. A big tent has been installed to warm frozen driver and offer them a hot tea. Many cars and buses have been released by powerful tractors and snow plows. Up to the morning the length of the traffic jam has reached 10 kilometers. It took one day to release all vehicles and clear the road.
On the photo below you can see a panorama of the “Stora Ouvragen” taken by the author on summer 2009.