Mrs WHBM
(elegent, charming, now mama to Little Miss WHBM
) is from St Pete, and has introduced me to a fascinating world, even tolerating Monino aircraft museum, one of everything (literally) the Soviets ever did, on our first trip down to Moscow. In those early times IL-62s were supposedly all withdrawn - but there was one, Kras Air, lining up behind our BA A320 at St Pete on my first 2003 trip. And you will still, today, see the odd Tu154 go through there, even if the timetable says otherwise.
Yes, Russia and Canada are similar, in many ways.
We had -40C one night at New Year and the central heating oil froze ...