Yes, there are places in Russia where this stereotype is true. Just imagine: you take out the trash (выносите мусор) and suddenly see a bear. One of such places is Belushya Guba (Белушья Губа), a village on Novaya Zemlya, where residents live close to these cuddly creatures. Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean with a population of just 2,500 people. In February 2019, an emergency situation was declared when bears invaded the residential area in search of food — they entered residential buildings, foraged (рыскали в поисках еды) in trashcans, and some even attacked people. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.
Besides the bears, locals are acclimatized to the fierce Arctic winds and snowdrifts (снежные заносы) that can reach two storeys high. If that happens, people leave their apartments through a window. Flights to the nearest city, Arkhangelsk, are frequently being canceled due to bad weather.
