Kars, Turkey

 

Snow statues of soldiers being sculpted before the 109^th anniversary of the Battle of Sarikamish.

Photograph:  Anadolu/Getty Images  

The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during WW1.  The battle resulted in a Russian victory.  

The Ottoman troops, ill-prepared for winter conditions, suffered major casualties in the Allahuekber Mountains.  Around 25,000 Ottoman soldiers froze to death before the start of the battle.