Russians may say "Pushkin is our everything," but with temperatures in the capital struggling to rise above -30° Celsius (-22° Fahrenheit) Muscovites have bombarded the Internet with suggestions that one particular line seems to be verging on mockery.
"Snow, frost and sunshine: lovely morning!" may well be the start to one of the most beautiful poems in the Russian language, but it has not gone down well with some people in the midst of the current cold spell.
Officials said Thursday that the decision to place "winter" quotations on maps of the subway had been taken long ago and were surprised that it could cause offense.
"None of the experts - artists and designers who contributed to deciding to place the line on metro maps - could even think that this could not only irritate but even offend passengers," designer Yevgeny Koval said.
The quotations could be found in every second car in the subway, and the officials will have to hope they do not cause too much distress for passengers because the Arctic conditions are set to continue for at least another week.
