"Russian woman Elena Generalova has a very unique line of work - freeing ships frozen in ice. She spoke about her missions, rescuing, repairing and maintaining the vessels in the harsh Yakut winters on February 12, as a special feature for International Women's Day on March 8. Footage shows Elena cutting a tunnel through ice under the ship, breaking the ice with a pickaxe and drill, and clearing the cut-out space of snow and ice. "It all started out of my curiosity - I got interested. I saw some guys doing it, I went up to them and asked. It was really strange to me what they were doing, why they were sawing [ice]," she revealed. "I watched them, went and asked my boss for permission: provide me an ice hold, I'll try to do the same." The following year she began de-icing ships full-time - and that was 15 winters ago. The mission, descending beneath the steel hull of the ship, requires endurance, strength and patience: the temperature sometimes drops to -50 °C and is in a very confined space. "I'm always in good shape, which I really like. I don't have to pay for a gym membership to stay fit. <...> I like the process itself. I like it when we finish, when we see the results of our work. Maybe not everyone will understand, but it makes me really happy, it's a real thrill for me," she shared. Ice cutters partially free the ship's hull from ice, creating tunnels for more accessible maintenance of the underwater part. Specialists work from morning until late evening, and the depth of the cleared space sometimes reaches three metres. Elena also spoke about being an inspiration to other women. "People are inspired when they see that women can do it. There are guys who would never have come here, but they do because women are dealing with it, so why can't they? And they try it too. <...> To have such a job and stay here for years, you have to love it. I love it, I enjoy it, and I am proud that I have been doing it for so many years. Seeing how proud my children are of me is worth more than anything," she added. She combines it with another full-time jobs as a crane operator at a ship repair plant. Elena has a son and four daughters, three of whom already have families of their own."